Torchwood America
by TWIantoJones
Summary: New version available! It's called "Torchwood America Version 2".
1. Author's notes and Parts 1 thru 9

This story is a continuous work-in-progress. Because I am only one step (maybe two) ahead of you (my readers) I see and discover little mistakes and inconsistencies several days AFTER posting each new part. As a result there have been some changes made to the first installments (Parts 1 - 9). Most of the changes are minor and do not matter if you have all ready read the story. These additions mostly just add more depth to the characters and the story as a whole. Please let me know if you notice any major or minor mistakes as you read the story of Torchwood America. Thanks in advance!!!!

~_~_~

TORCHWOOD AMERICA

~_~_~

Part One: Introduction

2009 was a difficult year for Torchwood III. Captain Jack Harkness buried two of his employees, Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper when his brother tried to destroy the city of Cardiff as part of his revenge against him. Jack cryogenically froze his brother in the hopes that one day he would be able to heal the boy's tortured mind. He continued to defend the earth with Gwen Cooper-Williams and Ianto Jones at his side.

Just when he thought that the pain of losing Toshiko and Owen had begun to fade, his life was ripped to shreds. This time the personal loss was so great that he felt as if he himself had died. He was left empty inside, a shell of a man.

Aliens known as the 456 to the government of Britain bullied their way to bargaining for 10% of the world's children. Torchwood III was destroyed, Jack was blown up and then encased in concrete when he resurrected. His daughter and grandson were taken hostage to try to get him to stand down. Instead of doing so, he and his lover Ianto Jones went to speak to the 456 at the Thames House. Their plan to intimidate the alien, in order to buy themselves time, backfired. The 456 released a virus into the air at the Thames House and it infected everyone inside. Jack Harkness held Ianto Jones as the younger man confessed his feelings of love for the Captain and subsequently died in his arms.

Devastated at the loss of his lover, who he had only begun to see as more than just a lover, Jack then had to make the heart-breaking decision to sacrifice his grandson in order to transmit the frequency that ultimately killed the invaders. His daughter could not forgive him, which added to his own personal pain.

Captain Jack Harkness traveled the earth in an attempt to forget about his losses. It didn't work so he left earth, he found his Doctor and slowly realized that he was meant to be alone. He willingly returned to earth one year to the day that his grandson died. He returned to Torchwood III, which was rebuilt along the Rift in Cardiff, Wales and forced himself to carry on.

There were things that he did not know though. Terrible and mysterious things.

~_~_~

What Captain Jack Harkness did not know was that several years prior to the 456, even before the Dalek-Cyberman invasion in London (that had become known as the Battle of Canary Wharf), the Torchwood Institute had begun to expand on a global level.

Yvonne Hartman, the head of the Institute, had met with several world governments and together they had set up bases throughout the world, strategically placed, to aid in the research of alien technology and the defense of earth from alien threats.

On every continent there was at least one Torchwood base staffed by researchers and field agents. They scavenged alien technology for study and use in the event of invasion. There were four bases in North American alone. The first was in Canada, the second was in Utah, the third was in New York and the fourth was located in the town of Bluemont, West Virginia.

Jason Monroe headed the Torchwood base in Bluemont. It was similar to the Cardiff base in that it was located along a Rift in Time and Space. Just like with Cardiff, aliens and technology from various points in time were prone to dropping into their laps at any second. This Rift was, however, much more stable and predictable.

Jason Monroe had graduated from the Michigan state police academy while in his early twenties and had worked on the force for four years before the International Police Force recruited him. He had met his ex-wife while at the police academy and together they had four children before their marriage ended on a bitter note. Now at the age of 46, Monroe had not had a serious relationship in nearly twelve years. After his wife had divorced him (and taken away most of his parental rights) he had sworn off of relationships. Instead he focused on his career and indulged himself in guiltless flings and torrid affairs with both males and females. He refused to allow anyone to get close enough to care about them. He never stayed the night; he rarely saw someone more than a handful of times. He lived as a bachelor and looked for sexual satisfaction in place of affection.

In 2002 the Torchwood Institute recruited him to run the facility in Bluemont. At first he had been skeptical about the existence of aliens. Then he was able to see some up close. He quickly realized that it was no joke and he agreed to run the North American base. He spent nearly two years in London training to be able to take on the role of leader of a Torchwood base, which caused a greater strain on his personal life as it meant less time to be able to spend visiting his children. Once his training was complet he returned to the U.S. He then relocated to West Virginia and met his team, all of whom were American and also trained by the Institute.

When Torchwood IV, formerly located in Ireland, disappeared Monroe began to doubt the intelligence of the Institute. Torchwood II kept to itself in Scotland and focused mainly on research. Torchwood III was far too noticeable in its attempts to thwart aliens. Then came the ghost shift experiments. Not possessing teleportation technology (only the Institute and UNIT had anything of that sort) Monroe could only watch from a distance as the Torchwood Institute was destroyed by the Dalek-Cyberman armies a few years later. All of the British-based Torchwoods then separated from each other while the rest continued to work together. This was made easier by the fact that only the Institute and their own individual government sponsors knew of their existence. So like the rest of the world's Torchwoods, Torchwood Bluemont ignored the British.

That was a mistake.

In mid-2009, Torchwood III was destroyed by its own government and 10% of the world's children were nearly sacrificed to aliens known as the 456. Torchwood III had been willing to take a stand against the would-be slave owners and were betrayed.

Monroe did not know the details, as there was still a lack of communication between the nations, but he knew that Torchwood III had been completely destroyed. He knew that the Rift at Cardiff remained unchecked.

However, just like Captain Harkness, there were things that Monroe had not been told.

He had not been told that Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper had rebuilt their team and continued to defend the earth from their underground base at Cardiff,

That was another mistake. One that would change the lives of so many forever.

~_~_~

Part Two: First Impressions

Jason Monroe stretched his toned arms and listened to the satisfying sound of joints popping. He smirked as Jenny grimaced at the sound. They were in his office going over the weekly reports and he was tired. It had been a long day and with this new alien species taking up residence in the sewers, some sort of alien primate Jenny figured, it was looking to be a long week.

"Must you do that?" Jenny muttered as she shuffled papers around placing them in order according the subject matter. She was particular about how she organized.

Monroe was a very attractive man; it was easy for the young doctor to see why so many people tried to get into his bed. He was 6'4" tall and built -- six pack abs, chiseled pecs, broad shoulders -- he had short black hair, dark brown eyes, straight nose, high cheek bones, square jaw; his face looked as if it had been sculpted out of stone. He was of Mediterranean heritage and was blessed with naturally darker skin. He liked to show off his body (which he worked at to keep it in shape) by wearing well-cut pants and form-fitting shirts. It was too bad that it was only his looks that were truly attractive.

He was, to put it bluntly, an asshole. Jenny wasn't sure of the details, and to be honest she didn't care, but he had become bitter after his marriage had failed and now chose to go through life alone. He could easily have his pick of any good-looking person yet he chose to stay away from commitment.

Despite being an asshole, he was a damn good leader. He never asked anyone to do something that he was unwilling to do himself. He was most often the first to jump into danger and the last to leave the scene. He was willing to work with aliens who meant no harm but was not afraid to fight if he had to. He did not keep secrets from his team, his personal life being the exception. The team knew that they could count on him to see to it that they did not get overworked. He had then on rotating schedules that allowed them time to not only rest and recuperate but to be with their families.

He was an asshole, but at least he was a damn good one.

"Sorry, Doc." Jason leaned back in his chair. "Okay, I think we're about finished here. We'll continue to monitor these ape things. If possible we need to capture one so we can examine it. It'd be great if we could also find a dead one so we can autopsy it."

"I'll let the others know to keep a look out for alien ape corpses. Maybe we can try Ebay." Her tone was as dry as the toast he'd eaten for breakfast.

"Good. Now!" Jason leaned forward to look her in the eye. "This British import. What do you think?"

This was a touchy subject with the entire team. UNIT had contacted Monroe a few days ago to inform him that, no matter how much he protested, a former UK Torchwood employee would be arriving later that week to join his team. Despite being separated from the British, they still had to answer to the U.S. government. The U.S. government had chosen to re-establish relations with the British and this was the first step to rebuilding those relations. After careful consideration they had chosen Bluemont as the Torchwood base that the newcomer would be sent. Jenny knew that Monroe hated being giving complete freedom to run the base as he saw fit only to then have someone forced onto him. It was a slap in the man's face. None of the others were happy about it either.

"I think that as we have no choice, not if we want that budget renewal to go through, we should at least attempt to be civil, if not nice to this 'British import'." She settled herself more comfortably in her chair. "Do we know anything about this person?"

"Only that he, or she, worked in Torchwood before and has a good deal of experience dealing with Rift problems. Our import will be arriving tomorrow morning. Sam's going to be at the airport playing chauffeur. He's so thrilled, I can tell you."

Sam, second in command, hated anything that kept him out of the field.

"Do we at least have a name so that Sam can find him quickly?"

"No, but I've been told that this person will be able to identify us so it shouldn't be a problem." Jason began to re-organize the reports on his desks, placing them in chronological order (no doubt just to piss her off). "I've had Shelly set up a temporary residence for the import until he or she has the time to house hunt. We'll receive all of the files on this person _after_ they arrive, which I don't think I have to tell you pisses me off."

"Did they say why?"

"Something about international security. Bullshit, probably, but bureaucracy always wins. Besides, like you said, we need our budget renewed."

They did. Her medical team needed more funding if they were to continue their medical research and care for those the Rift tossed at them.

"Well, we might as well make the most of it. And once we meet him or her, you can stop calling them 'Import'."

"You love to take away my fun, don'tcha?" he asked with a grin.

"Asshole."

"You know it."

~_~_~

Morning came far too soon for Jason Monroe. As he rolled out of bed he noticed the calendar that hung on the wall. _Tuesday_. It had been three days since his conversation with Jenny. Today was the day that Jason had been dreading since the phone call from UNIT a week ago. Today was the day that some haughty, stiff-lipped British import would saunter in through the doors of the Torchwood Bluemont base and wreak havoc in their lives.

Shit.

He got himself ready as quick as he was able and headed out the door. He climbed inside his black convertible and drove to the 'research center' that was the cover story for his base. He punched in his security code and made his way through the faux lobby and into the maze that led him underground.

Torchwood One (the Institute) had been in a large multi-storied office building in London. Jason had been suitably impressed at the expensive looking facility. As a result his own base had disappointed him at first. Torchwood Bluemont had been built beneath a city block where several bomb shelters had been abandoned. It was a two level facility and tricky to navigate if one did not know the way around. There were two entrances; the first was through the research center and the second was down the block through a door in an alley between a grocery store and a used bookstore.

After working here for a few years he had come to love the earthy feel of the base. The bomb shelter foundations had been reinforced using alien technology. The walls were several feet thick and were soundproof to the world above. Like so many of the Torchwood bases there were cells to keep alien specimens as well as archives filled with technology and reports to help in their mission. Unlike many of the other Torchwood bases Jason Monroe had a large staff (at least when one compared the size of his base to that of the others). He had four medical officers, three researchers/archivists, two computer and technology experts and three field agents. All of his staff were trained in weapons use and had field experience. He did not allow any one of his people to not be trained in the field; there were occurrences when one of his field agents had been incapacitated and he needed an extra set of hands. He worked differently from the other Torchwood leaders because he forced himself to learn his staff's weaknesses and worked with them to make them stronger. He knew that his base only functioned so efficiently because they worked together as a team. They were like a puzzle that used all of the pieces.

And now some British import was going to crash the party.

"Hey Jason!" Shelly, a plump girl with a pretty round face and dark curls, bounced up from her desk as he came in. "Perfect timing! Sam's on the way to the airport -- complain, complain! That's all he does -- and Jenny made cookies while I started the coffee maker. Here's your morning mail." She handed him several envelopes and packages with her bright smile.

"Cookies?" Jason shook his head at the puzzlement that females were. He couldn't understand why women thought that home baked goods were the way to go to welcome people. What was wrong with a good, firm handshake?

"Yep! She wanted to make something British, to make our guest feel more at home, but she said since she doesn't know what part of Britain they're from she didn't want to be insulting. So she made peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies instead."

"Riiight." He pulled off his leather jacket and draped it over a vacant chair. "I just know that I'll be glad when this creep is gone."

"I just know that I wanna know if it's a cute guy!" Shelly giggled. "Though a girl would be nice too. I'll bet she'd wear great clothes! British fashion is sooo hot!"

And she would know. She loved to read through the UK version of various magazines, such as Cosmo. In fact, he could see a large stack balance precariously on the edge of her desk. The sad thing about it was that this particular stack had been purchased just in the last few days. Women.

"I'll be in my office banging my head against the wall if you need me. Otherwise call me when Sam gets back." With that, Jason walked down the hall and into his office, the door closing behind him.

~_~_~

When Sam called it was nearly noon. The plane had been delayed and so his second in Command felt the need to voice his annoyance and try to weasel out of this pick-up job. Jason simply told him to hang tight, the plane would be there soon and he should enjoy the reprieve while he could. After all, who knew how long it would be before the Rift threw something nasty at them and they got no sleep for three days? Sam had huffed and puffed and then hung up.

Now just after 2 p.m. Jason stood with Jenny and Dan (another medic) in front of one of the cages. They had successfully caught one of the ape things two days ago and now had it locked away for observation. Unfortunately the ape thing was more volatile than anticipated so their research had been limited to just watching the creature and taking notes.

"Maybe we could sedate it," Dan suggested. "We could slip it into its' food?"

"But we don't know what dosage to give it," Jenny protested. "Or if it has immunities or lack of; we could end up killing it. Don't say it Jason!" She raised her hand in warning.

"What? A corpse would tell us a lot!" Jason smirked at her before turned back to the creature. He didn't want to kill it, he was merely joking. Luckily, although he was an asshole it was only towards those who needed it.

"Jason…" Jenny began to chide him, only to be interrupted by a staticy crackle.

::Yo, Jason!::

Jason reached out and touched the receive button on the comm panel on the wall. "Sam back, Miranda?"

::Yep. The car's intact. There's fresh coffee. I finished that report for you. Oh, and Shelly's having kittens.::

"Joy. We'll be up in a minute." He stepped away from the cage and headed for the stairs, the others right behind him.

The first thing he saw was the plate of cookies sitting on the coffee table in the main part of the base. The second thing he saw was a very expensive black trench coat draped over his own leather coat. A black messenger back sat on the couch. Jason slowly moved his eyes towards the sound of voices. There they were, at Shelly's desk talking up a storm. Well, Shelly was talking, the others were listening.

Jason could not help but stare at the trim, slender figure that was faced away from him. A pair of perfectly tailored dark gray pants made long legs look even longer. An expensive, form fitting purple shirt was partially hidden by a perfectly tailored dark gray jacket. The black shoes had probably cost more than his entire collection of Star Trek Dvds (every series, every season, every single movie). He took in the fair skin and the dark wavy hair. He stared unabashed at the firm, tight looking ass that was on display before him. It was a very nice ass. It was the kind of ass that simply _begged_ for Jason Monroe's hands to grab hold and squeeze. And if it weren't for the fact that he had a firm rule for himself against not becoming involved with his staff, he would so be all over this sexy, gorgeous British import faster than Paris Hilton could say "That's hot!"

The British import seemed to become aware of the intense gaze and slowly turned to face him. Jason shook himself and he stepped forward to greet his guest. It was hard to breathe; their guest was that mesmerizing. In fact, the British import was smokin' hot. Jason Monroe had a good eye for finding the most attractive people and this one had most certainly caught his attention. Too damn bad that they were going to work together.

He stretched out his hand in greeting. The hand that met his was soft and warm. He cleared his throat.

"Welcome to Torchwood Bluemont. I'm Jason Monroe."

Sharp, bright eyes pierced right through him. The face was exquisite; he could stare at this fine-featured face forever. A high forehead, slight upturned nose and thin lips adorned the slightly rounded face. There were slight circles just beneath the dark blue eyes and the cheekbones were just high enough to take a few years off. He barely noticed the scar, it was so faded.

The lips parted, letting out a voice that bore a soft lilting accent.

"Jones. Ianto Jones."

Jason stared at those piercing blue eyes in shock. It was impossible.

Ianto Jones had died five years ago. He knew that. He had read the documents and had shaken his head at the stupidity of Torchwood UK. Jones had died at the Thames House in London when he attempted to stop the 456 alien and was exposed to an air borne virus. He was dead. D-E-A-D. Not among the living. It was impossible.

What the _fuck_ was going on?

~_~_~

Part Three: Beginnings

Ianto Jones stood looking at the ape creature. It was locked inside a reinforced metal cage. It stared back at him and growled. Ianto Jones took a step closer.

"I wouldn't get too close," Jenny said. "It's carnivorous. And violent. We caught it as it was attacking a homeless man a couple nights ago. The poor man didn't survive."

Ianto smiled a dry smile at her and moved forward another step.

"Mr. Jones," Jason said annoyed. "She's right. It's dangerous. We were hoping to study it, but we can't even get in there in order to examine it. Not without losing a hand or two."

"That's because you don't know what you have here."

Some people found British accents sexy. Normally Jason could agree with that sentiment. Hell, he found all accents sexy, even the West Virginia _twang_ that he was buffeted with on a daily basis. However when Ianto spoke it was with an air of superiority. It was as if he was looking down his upturned nose at them. It was that arrogance that was so annoying. Dammit, it was sexy too.

"Oh? And what exactly have we got then," Sam asked in a tone that said 'I hate you.'

"A Weevil."

"A what?"

"A Weevil."

Ianto had reached the cage. He carefully raised a hand and placed it on the thick metal bars. The Weevil snarled and rushed towards him. Jason lifted up the stun-stick in order to get it away but before he could switch it on, Ianto had sprayed something into the face of the attacking alien. It staggered back and swung its head in an agitated manner. It did not attempt to attack again.

"What did you do? What is that stuff?" Jenny was unable to keep the concern for the creature out of her voice.

"Weevil spray. Specially formulated, although it has been altered from its' initial makeup. The bloody things evolved, we think. One spray, two if their metabolism is faster, and Weevils are temporarily paralyzed." Ianto pocketed the small spray vial and returned his attention to the Weevil. It looked at him in disdain.

"Oh now, don't give me that look," he spoke softly. "It's not my fault that you've been brought here. Or that these people don't know how to care for you." He carefully crouched down and tilted his head slightly. He reached slowly, so as not to frighten the Weevil, into his breast pocket and produced a candy bar.

"What are you doing?" Jason demanded. What, was it snack time?

"I've discovered than many displaced aliens appreciate the finer things that earth has to offer. Dinosaurs too, actually."

"What?"

"It's my secret weapon when dealing with aliens and dinosaurs. Chocolate. Preferably dark." He began to unwrap the candy bar. "Hershey isn't my first choice but it'll do." He tossed the chocolate into the cage and they all watched as the Weevil, its' nostrils flaring, crept towards it.

Jason's annoyance flared as he saw the Weevil eagerly devour the candy bar.

Ianto stood (taking away the nice view of his taut ass) and regarded the Weevil. "I think I'll call it Bridget."

"You named it?" Miranda said with a shake of her head.

"At Torchwood III we named all of the aliens that we had to care for. Our resident Weevil was called Janet and our Pterodan was Myfanwy." He obviously did not find this odd in the least.

"Right, anyway." Jason turned towards the stairs. "I think it's time that we all had a little chat. Senior officers, my office."

~_~_~

Jason, Sam, Jenny, Miranda and Ianto sat around the desk in Jason's office. They each had a cup of coffee and Miranda had her notepad in front of her.

"Okay Mr. Jones, why don't you start at the beginning?"

Ianto smiled a bit and replied, "Perhaps it would be better if you simply asked me whatever you want to know."

Jason narrowed his dark eyes and scowled. "Fine. Officially you're dead. You've been dead for five years. Explain that."

If he was surprised, Ianto Jones didn't show it.

"I died. I died due to an alien virus in the ventilation shafts at the Thames House in London in mid 2009. I was buried three days after the 456 were defeated. One year and eight days later I was unearthed from my grave by UNIT. They had discovered while performing experiments using the virus that it did not always cause death but instead it could stop a body from functioning while preserving it in it's natural state. I was one of those who had just the right genetic material to prevent both death and decay. Because of my affiliation with Torchwood, my body was frozen before it was buried in a special cemetery. I was undecayed when they pulled me up."

Ianto's eyes darkened at the memories of that terrible time. "My body was alive but my brain had been damaged, between the virus, the freezing and the lack of oxygen they doubted that I would survive. But I did. For nearly five months they experimented on me using both earth and alien technology, all the while keeping me hooked up on life support machines. Then suddenly I woke up screaming, no warning at all. I screamed until my throat had begun to bleed and they had to sedate me to keep me from harming myself. The next seven months I was in physical therapy; I had to relearn how to walk and talk. I couldn't even lift a spoon or dress myself."

He picked up his coffee and took a sip, grimacing at the slight bitter taste.

"What happened next? Why didn't you return to Torchwood III?"

"It was destroyed. There's nothing left." His voice was flat.

"But you could have rebuilt," Jason said. He had thoroughly read the reports about the Torchwood base's destruction. Captain Harkness had disappeared and there was no one else left. The Rift was still there though, a rebuild was completely do-able.

"No." Ianto cradled his mug close to him, his eyes filled with an emptiness that was practically tangible. "There was nothing left to rebuild. All of the equipment was destroyed. The server was all that remained. Gwen and Rhys were happy without the complications of aliens and Jack…" His eyes turned inward. "Captain Jack Harkness had left. He left us, left me, to travel and to forget. There's nothing left for me in Cardiff. I've been reduced to a mere memory. Besides, even if I did want to return to Cardiff, UNIT and Torchwood UK put me back together and gave me a new purpose."

"And that purpose is what, exactly?"

Ianto smirked and lifted his eyes to meet Jason's. "I've been made your Second in Command."

"What the fuck?" Sam jumped up angrily.

"Sit down," Jason said.

"No! Look Import, you don't just strut in here looking like some fashion model and tell us a sob story and just expect us to--"

"I said SIT DOWN."

Jason Monroe had four children, aged 14 to 25. He had to deal with bitchy female hormones and whiny Mama's boys whenever they deemed to visit him (at certain holidays or whenever they wanted something, like a new car) and so he knew how to handle temper tantrums. Sam was in many ways a big kid and so he knew that the other man would respond to his angry, authoritative tone.

Sam glowered at Ianto but sat back down, albeit reluctantly.

"What exactly do you mean that you're my Second in Command?" Jason kept his voice quiet, threatening. He could understand Sam's outrage. Sam had worked for Torchwood for several years and had worked in the CIA before that. He was also only a few years younger than Jason. To be replaced by someone younger was an insult to all of his hard work.

"Just that, sir." Ianto did not appear to be at all worried at the other's outburst and anger. In fact, there was amusement in his eyes. Eyes that had never left Jason's face.

"I don't need a new Second in Command. Sam here does just fine." He used the tone he had used on his ex when she had demanded money to send their youngest to a private school. He had not given in and had made sure to use that same tone with her every time she asked him for anything. The 'I'm Jason Monroe and you can't tell me what to do' tone had never failed him.

Until it was used on Ianto Jones.

"Yes, his work and dedication to Torchwood's mission is admirable. He has indeed done 'just fine,' however; 'just fine' isn't good enough. Not anymore."

"Why?" Miranda asked. "What's going on?"

"Alien domination is a serious threat. It's also very close to becoming a reality. After the 456 'incident' the governments of the world are more determined than ever to see to it that the earth is able to defend itself. After all, the 21st century is when everything changes. You've got to be ready. Before, we thought we were ready. Torchwood Cardiff was destroyed because of our ignorance. That mistake will _not_ be repeated." He fixed his steely eyes onto each of them. "Like it or not, I'm Second in Command. Torchwood Bluemont was chosen as a test subject to see exactly what you're capable of. I will be observing everything and upgrading where needed. It is our duty to prepare the earth's people for the inevitable. One day aliens will come to rule us. By preparing for the future now we are ensuring that generations after us _have_ a future."

"And if we choose _not_ to follow these orders?" Jason had to know just what sort of power Ianto Jones had over him.

"Then you will be replaced." The tone was as cool as his blue eyes. "Not a single, solitary one of us is more important than the earth. I suggest you get used to that. It will make it easier to swallow."

He finished his coffee and rose to his feet.

"I was told that I would be provided with housing for the duration of my stay, however long that may be. I would appreciate it if someone could direct me there as it was a long journey and I'm in need of rest."

Jenny could see that Jason was about to explode so she stood. "I'll take you there. It's just a few blocks away. Oh, you'll need a passcode to get back into the base." She glanced at Jason for direction.

"No need. I all ready have my passcode. I just need a bed now."

"Go, then," Jason snapped, the vein at his temple throbbing in slowly simmering anger.

"I'll be in by 8 a.m. I'll need access to your security programs and your archives." Ianto turned and walked to the door, opening it in a gentlemanly manner for Jenny to step through first. He turned to look back at them. "Wela i chi wedyn."*

Jason watched as Ianto and Jenny walked out the door and down the hall. He waited until they were out of sight before sweeping his arm across his desk and knocking off the computer monitor. The others jumped as it crashed to the floor and the screen cracked ominously.

"Damn British bastard."

~_~_~

*"See you later."

~_~_~

Part Four: Stirrings

The apartment was situated above a small grocery store three blocks from the base. It was a studio that consisted of a single large room and a bathroom. The kitchen area was rather spacious and the carpeting and paint were new. The furnishings were minimal but tasteful. There was no decoration, no personalization. It was not meant for long-term tenants.

Ianto Jones sat on the full-sized bed with his head in his hands. The tears that he had been holding in for the last few days had finally been released. He never allowed himself to cry in front of anyone, not anymore. Long gone were the days when he allowed his emotions to betray him. The last time had been when he had died. And that had not gone well.

_"I love you."_

_"Don't."_

What had he meant? Had Jack said that because he loved him too and was too afraid to lose him? Or had he been telling him that because Ianto's love would forever be unrequited?

_"Don't forget me…"_

_"Never could."_

But Jack hadn't been able to stay. UNIT had taken great pleasure in informing him that Jack was gone forever. As was Torchwood Cardiff.

_"In a thousand years' time you won't remember me…"_

_"Yes I will. I promise."_

But Ianto seriously doubted that he had made such an impression on Jack. Jack Harkness was immortal. What could someone as dull and lackluster as himself be to someone as wonderful and innovative as Jack?

And now Ianto Jones, the soul remaining survivor of Torchwood Cardiff, was completely alone while surrounded by people.

_It's better than being in the darkness…_

He shuddered and lifted his head at that thought.

The darkness. He would have rather been converted than go back into the darkness. He would rather have been like Owen, a walking corpse, than go back to that.

He had experienced many horrors from the moment he had joined Torchwood. The darkness that existed when one died was the most terrifying horror of all.

He closed his eyes and tried not to remember. The darkness was an empty void. All around was just black darkness. Voices, the barest of whispers, could be heard at every angle. Shapes, black shadows, circled round and round with each passing second. He could hear them, he could feel them. But he could not see them or touch them. They were always just out of reach. Alone. Always so alone.

He had heard familiar voices. Lisa, Tosh and Owen. So many times he had tried to find them, to join them. He had cried out to them so many times only to still be alone, _still so alone_.

Memories of days gone by whispered to him, taunting him with what he'd once had. He had vividly recalled meeting Lisa at the Institute; they had become friends before his feelings had turned into love. Tosh coming to visit him while he'd been suspended after Lisa died; she'd been a true friend to him through everything, never judging him. Owen had tried to comfort him after Jack had left to find his doctor; they had discovered many mutual hobbies and grown closer.

Memory upon memory had pierced through the darkness. The memories only made the nothingness worse. Sometimes he had wondered if they saw the same things that he did at the same time. Other times he was too busy crying in fear of eternity alone in the darkness to wonder about anything at all.

He wiped at his face with his hand. He had to forget about the darkness. Yes, every single night he had nightmares about it. About Cybermen, Daleks, jarred hands, space whales, evil faeries and 51st century men too. But that was all in the past. He had to forget so that he could carry on. He had no choice. Torchwood and UNIT's mission was his sole reason for existing now.

"All right." He smiled a tight smile. "Time to pack away the past and move towards the future. The end is where Ianto Jones starts from." He stood and pulled off his trench coat, laying it on the bed. He walked over to the kitchen and looked through the cabinets. Empty of food and with only a few dishes. At least there was a coffee maker, even if it looked almost as old as him. He had worked with far worse; the Torchwood III coffee maker had been difficult to master at first. Now he was a coffee connoisseur.

The plus side to the apartment was that it was located directly over a 24-hour grocery store. The down side was that because it was open 24 hours there would most likely be nights when the store's patrons would be too noisy for him to be able to sleep. Not that he slept much anymore, not with the unending nightmares.

He pushed that thought aside and reached for his bag. He took out his wallet; UNIT had seen to it that a bank account with a large sum of money had been opened for him so that he could purchase anything material that he needed or wanted. Ianto pocketed the keys Jenny had given him and made his way out the back door and down into the store below.

It was similar to a Tesco so he grabbed a basket and started shopping. He picked out some basic toiletries before moving on to food. Coffee and filters were of course at the top of his list. Dying had not dulled his love for the black beverage. In fact he drank little else anymore. A box of cereal, loaf of bread, some frozen vegetables, fresh fruit, lunchmeat, a gallon of skim milk, instant noodles and a box of dark chocolate also found their way into his shopping basket. On his way to the checkout he stopped to pick up a few magazines and paperback novels to help occupy him when he was not at the base. The only possessions he had were in a small suitcase that currently lay next to the couch upstairs. All that it contained were a few sets of clothes and his diary.

He swiped his debit card as the cashier bagged his purchases for him. He thanked the young woman and walked back upstairs to put away his things.

Life was so much less than it had been before. But at least he was alive.

He just had to keep telling himself that. Maybe one day he'd start to believe it.

~_~_~

Jason flung open his door and stormed into his townhouse. He tossed his keys onto the coffee table and threw himself onto the sofa.

He was not in a good mood. He did not like it when people went over his head. It was one thing to force him to take on a new teammate but it was an entirely different thing when the new guy completely upset the balance of the team.

Ianto Jones.

_Bastard_.

Jason didn't give a damn that Jones had died and been brought back to life or whatever his death-by-alien-virus experience could be called. So what? They didn't have the right to do this.

With a growl he stood and began to pace. He had no choice but to accept Ianto Jones' place on his team. As promised, all of the files on Jones had been delivered to his email inbox minutes after Jenny had led him out. The timing was too perfect it was creepy. Apparently Jones was seen as a special expert on whatever the hell it was that had them all spooked. Because of that, Sam had been demoted and Ianto Jones would be moving into his office.

_Damn, cocky bastard._

At least he looks good, his subconscious teased him.

He should have known it the instant he saw just how gorgeous the man was. Experience had taught him that; the better looking someone was the more dangerous they tended to be. In fact even Captain Harkness had commented in several reports exactly how dangerous Ianto Jones could be.

Jones had stalked and tricked Harkness into taking him on. Several months later Harkness learned it was because Jones' girlfriend was a partially converted Cyberman and was hidden in the basement of Torchwood III. His girlfriend and gotten free and tried to take over and carry out the Cybermen's mission to convert people. They'd had no choice but to fight back, eventually killing the girl and destroying the technology. Ianto Jones had been willing to risk everything to save his girlfriend and his only punishment was a four-week suspension. It didn't make sense and that told Jason something very important.

It told him that Ianto Jones was very dangerous indeed.

_I may have to work with him, but it doesn't mean I have to like him._

Jones' eyes had seemed so empty as he had spoken. Even when he had smiled it had not reached his eyes. Those dark blue eyes were like a siren's call; it had been nearly impossible for Jason to look away.

Perhaps he's not so dangerous. Maybe he's just lonely, his subconscious whispered.

"Piss off."

Yeah, like he was even remotely interested in the bastard.

The way that Ianto had smirked at him, just a touch of humor on his face, when he had explained his role at Bluemont went right through him. Damn, that face, those eyes… What he wouldn't give to rip through the man's impeccable suit and wipe that smirk off his face.

The thought of removing Ianto's clothes sent a rush of heat to his groin.

Shit. No way. There was no way in hell he was going to even _think_ about--

Damn, he needed a cold shower. Scratch that, he needed a freezing shower.

He kicked off his boots and stumbled to the bathroom. Stripping off his clothes he stepped into the tub and turned on the cold water. He could not believe that he had gotten hard over that little prick. He went for the antagonistic type but only when it resulted in some kinky fun. Ianto Jones was not his type in anything except for looks.

Jason stayed under the steady stream under he had no choice but to take matters into his own hand. Once he had rinsed off he turned off the tap and reached for a towel. Yanking on a pair of boxers he climbed into bed and turned off the light. He fell into a fitful sleep that was quickly punctuated with dreams.

His dreams were Ianto-filled.

~_~_~

Part Five: Tension

The smell of fresh brewed coffee assaulted Jason's senses as he walked through the door into the main part of the base. That was strange. It was only 7:30 in the morning. No one came in before 8 a.m. Immediately his body tensed and he reached inside his coat for his gun.

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there."

Jason looked around in surprise.

Ianto stood a few feet away holding a coffee cup in his hand. He wore a black pinstriped suit with a matching vest and a red shirt. The jacket was draped across the back of Shelly's chair. The computer on the desk was turned on.

"What the hell? You don't have the authority to come in and start fucking up everyone's stuff!" He marched over to the desk and looked at the screen. Some sort of program was being installed.

"Actually, I think you'll find that I do." Ianto set down his cup and picked up his jacket. "I've been here for nearly two hours and I have to say that your security procedures are severely lacking. A toddler could get in here just by getting a hold of your keys." He turned to face the angry man. "Look, I'm sorry but I have the authority to do this. I didn't ask for it, nor do I want it, but I have it and I will use it." He actually sounded a little contrite, but it wasn't enough to take the sting away.

"You could have at least waited for me to get in. Give me some sort of warning." Jason glowered angrily at him. He would not let Jones off the hook just yet. "Not only did you give me a heart attack -- _it's not funny_ -- but there are certain programs running constantly. Unless you know what you're doing--"

"I do," Ianto interrupted, still chuckling. "I checked before I got started to ensure that I wasn't 'fucking up everyone's stuff '. Now, do you want to know what I'm doing or not?"

Jason had to work hard to keep his features schooled. He would not allow Ianto Jones to make him lose his temper, not yet at least. This would have been easier to do except for the fact that he'd gotten very little sleep and had woken up with a major case of hard-on that took nearly half an hour in the cold shower to get rid of. Damn dreams.

"Fine. Tell me."

"I'll get us some coffee and come into your office." Ianto picked up his cup and walked over to the coffee station.

Jason huffed and stomped off to his office, slamming the door loudly to make a point.

~_~_~

"Jenny will need blood samples from each of you before your new keys can be activated." Ianto opened up a box of USB flash drives.

"Each of these is keyed to you specifically. The locks at the doors, both upstairs and in the alley, will be replaced today. They will have a small panel where you will place your RIGHT hand. This will open another panel with a USB port; simply plug in the flash drive and wait for the door to open. You will have thirty-five seconds to enter before the door closes. You will have to wait seven minutes before you can try again. Once inside, the door that leads into the base -- both directions -- will be fitted with the same lock only this is where it gets more complicated. After placing your LEFT hand on the panel, the door concealing the USB port will open and you will again plug in. However, this will activate the retinal scan to see that it matches your file. After that you will then type in a seventeen-digit passcode that must contain letters, numbers and symbols. Only after you do all that will the door open and admit you, the time is set for twenty seconds."

"Seventeen digits!" Shelly looked worried. "I don't know if I can remember something like that…"

"I'll help you come up with a way to remember," Ianto assured her, which in turn caused her to beam adoringly and Jason to scowl.

"Hold on," Miranda said with a frown. "A flash drive? That means that anyone with a computer can get the information on it!"

"That's where the DNA sample comes in. The drives have been altered by alien technology. A tiny chip inside will contain your DNA. Even if someone gets your drive and plugs it into a computer it will not work for them. And besides, the only information contained is your log-in and log-out times as well as some generic pictures that will help fool anyone who gets a hold of your drive."

"Log-out? We have to do this every time we go to leave?" Sam said. "What if there's an emergency? It'll take forever to get out!"

Ianto adopted a patient expression. "No, it's not so that you can leave. The logging-out part is when you are about to leave for the day, Rift activity providing, you plug into either door and it simply records the time. If you choose, you may still log-out via your computer terminals and not the door; the time will still be recorded."

"But why DNA? What sort of guarantee is that?" Miranda asked.

"Because when you place your hands on the door panels a tiny bit of DNA is taken and matched to the flash drive," Ianto said as he handed Jenny the box. "Now, I have fifteen flash drives, one for each of us. Three different brands in five different colors to make it easier to tell them apart. I've all ready taken the time to place your Torchwood ID numbers on them so that all Jenny has to do is draw blood and I will then install the chips. Any other questions?"

Jenny raised her hand, feeling like she was in school, and a bit foolish at that. "What happens if we lose our drives?"

"Let me know immediately. The technology used to alter them is simple to install but I would still need to fit it into a new drive and get another DNA sample."

"Okay, what if more than one of us shows up together? Do we have to take turns opening the door?" Sam asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Ianto said with a smile that nearly reached his eyes. Jason was suddenly very glad he was sitting down; his knees had gone weak. "No, you can all get through the first door together and then will simply have to take turns plugging in. The locks are fitted with a scanner that will be able to detect when there is more than one individual at the door and will respond accordingly." He looked around to see if there were any more questions about the USB flash drives.

"Okay, next is the subject of communication. Mr. Monroe, would you care to explain?"

Jason rolled his eyes at the formal tone and looked at his senior officers. "Mr. Jones and I discussed more efficient ways of communicating when we're not at the base. Torchwood III used headsets that had a wide range. I agreed that this would make it easier especially when we need to communicate between the field and base. He's all ready placed an order for several sets that again will be fine-tuned with a bit of alien know-how. They can also be used with your cell phones."

"I would recommend wearing them all the time when at base, to get used to it," Ianto suggested. "I also took the liberty of installing on everyone's computers a set of security programs that you will need to send to your mobiles. In the event that you lose your mobiles the programs will ensure that all Torchwood-related numbers are inaccessible. Oh, and if you have any pictures, texts or voicemails relating to Torchwood business," he narrowed his eyes at Sam. "I want it gone by the time you leave this evening. And I will be checking."

Ianto looked around at the group before allowing his eyes to rest on Jason. They stared each other down in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Ianto could still smell the black emptiness of his nightmare while Jason was wondering exactly what was beneath the perfect-fit suit.

It was going to be a long day.

~_~_~

Part Six: Dreams

He was running. All around him was the darkness. It filled up each of his senses and threatened to drown him in its' bleakness. His lungs were filled with the nothing and he thought he was suffocating. He kept running. He hoped and wished and begged to find some light. But there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was only the darkness.

Yet still Ianto Jones ran.

He could hear the faintest of whispers. Voices that he had not cherished enough while alive spoke to him, trying to reach him. He could just make out the words, mere snatches of days gone by.

_No one ever brings you a coffee. It's worth the risk to protect people. No thanks, I'm fine. You're just the Tea-Boy. Now you're going out on missions, you're shagging Jack. King of the Weevils, remember? You always keep your promises. I want to walk. Isn't that what love is?_

Tosh, Owen and Lisa. He heard their voices the most. He wished that he had spent more time getting to know them. Even Lisa he had not truly known.

_And he looks good in a suit. Your loyalty is to us now. You shouldn't be here. See you in my office in ten. I came back for you. And I wouldn't change that for the world. Always has been, always will be. That's all there is. It's all my fault. Don't. Don't. Don't. DON'T._

This was the voice he heard the least yet it hurt the most. Jack, his lover, his partner, his world. His world had ended the day that he died. Sometimes he could just make out Jack's rich voice, his throaty laugh. It never lasted for long. But then, Jack couldn't stay dead. While it hurt to barely feel Jack in the darkness, it also gave him hope. Jack was still alive. Jack was still out there. Jack would remember him.

But Ianto ran so that maybe, hopefully, Suzie and Owen and all those they had brought back with the glove ("Risen Mitten. I think it's catchy.") were wrong and there was something more. Something more than this _nothing_. His mother had made him sit through church every Sunday as a child; he had sometimes attended as an adult. How could every church be wrong? There had to be more than this!

"Ianto."

He stopped running. He looked around; he tried to find the source of the disturbance. It sounded so much more clear than normal. The other voices were mere wisps in his ear but this voice sounded like it was right there, drawing him in.

"Ianto."

He turned and stared. A hand reached out from the darkness. It was a vaguely familiar hand. It wasn't Jack's; he could never forget anything about Jack. Slowly he raised his head and he let out a stifled cry.

It was Jason Monroe.

Jason stood there in jeans and his black leather jacket, his hand held out towards him.

"Jason?"

He never saw anyone here! Here there was nothing!

"Ianto." Jason looked at him, warmth in his dark brown eyes. "Take my hand."

"This can't be happening."

"It is. There is light at the end; you just have to be ready for it. For you that means you have to let it go." Jason's voice was deep and warm, like his eyes. Ianto felt himself drowning.

"Let go of what?"

"The past. You can't return to it. It's moved on. You can only go forward. Let it go. Once you do, the light will be there waiting for you. They, the people you love, will be there."

"But how can I let it go? It's all that I am!" He couldn't let go of Jack. He _couldn't_, he had tried before, when Jack had left them. He had thought he would die.

"You can let go and still love him," Jason said gently. "Love never dies, it grows and changes to suit us. You can still love him while loving another."

Ianto shook his head. "I can't. Please, I can't! I can't do this without him. Please, can't he join me?" He was crying now.

"One day, sooner than you think, everyone you love will be together. Just be patient. Let yourself love again."

He wanted to, he really did, but what if by some miracle he found Jack again? If Jack still wanted him then how could he refuse? And how could he hurt someone else to be with Jack? It wasn't fair. He _couldn't_…

"I can't, not yet. Please," he whispered.

"You can…" Jason stepped forward and took Ianto's hand in his.

Ianto awoke with a gasp. His sheets were twisted around him and he was covered in sweat.

"What the hell?"

~_~_~

Jason pressed his lover gently down on the bed. He kissed a sweaty forehead and slowly began to run his fingers over the naked flesh. He lightly sucked at his lover's neck, drawing out the most exquisite of sounds. The sounds drew him in and he began his journey down his lover's long, lean body. He only stopped when he reached the small puckered navel and he lavished it with his tongue.

"Jason…"

His lover's voice was like a song that he couldn't get out of his head. He cherished every single sound, each word that was uttered from those kiss-bruised lips. Lips that were even now parted with pants and gasps and moans.

"Jason, make love to me. Now, please!"

Jason sat up and placed his hands on his lover's trembling thighs. He gently but firmly parted them and looked down at the arousal that met his gaze.

A very _masculine_ arousal.

Jason awoke with a jerk.

"What the… Fuck."

Jason sat up in bed and looked around. He was (thankfully) alone in his room. There was no sign of Ianto Jones, naked or otherwise, in the vicinity. Unfortunately he now had an uncomfortable situation to take into hand. With a groan he pulled himself to his feet and staggered into the bathroom.

Once he had finished and was dressed in boxers once again he debated going back to bed. He really did not want to risk having another risqué dream that involved the young British import. Instead of diving back under the covers he padded barefoot into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. He figured since he was wide awake (due to both the dream and the cold shower) he might as well get some work done.

He ploughed through several half finished reports and got to work on that packet that UNIT requested they send on some recently scavenged alien technology by the time the sun had risen. He sighed deeply as his thoughts were still wrapped tight around the dream. He had hoped that the images would vanish into his subconscious if he concentrated on other tasks.

Why the hell would he be dreaming about Ianto Jones, anyway? The brat was the most annoying self-centered, arrogant creep he had ever met.

_Ah, but he is most pleasing on the eye! You have to admit that! _

He really hated his subconscious right now. Yeah, sure, Jones was hot. He was hot enough to make Jason consider breaking his rule about work hookups. But his personality left a lot to be desired.

_It's just a mask, a shield. It's designed to protect him. The real Ianto Jones is hiding in there somewhere just waiting to be pulled free._

"Fuck off, I do not care about Ianto Jones!"

_Sure, sure. Tell yourself that the next time you look at his empty eyes and wish they weren't so blank. Tell yourself that tonight when you dream about him again._

Jason scowled and returned to his work. He would not allow himself to think about Ianto Jones.

When Jason stalked into the base just after 9 a.m. the first thing he saw was Ianto Jones standing at the coffee maker. Ianto looked up and their eyes locked. They stared at each other before looking away.

They avoided one another for the entire day. Too bad it didn't make things any easier.

~_~_~

Part Seven: Friendship

Shelly watched Ianto as he sat at his desk working on reports. It had been one week since he had officially joined the team and as of yet he had barely said two words to anyone outside of Torchwood related subjects. She thought it was rather sad and she was determined to do something about it.

First she needed to talk to him, to find out what sort of things interested him. She picked up a stack of reports that needed to be reviewed and signed either by Ianto or Jason before they could be filed away. It was the perfect opportunity to get to know the new guy.

"It's open!" Ianto called out as she tapped lightly on the door. He looked up as she entered and managed a small smile for her. "Shelly, what can I do for you?"

"These need to be signed and I think Jason's busy so could you…?" She looked at him imploringly and held out the files.

He looked at her and nodded. "Just lay them on my desk and I'll bring them around when I'm done."

Ooh, she hadn't thought of that!

"Oh! I kinda need to file them ASAP so could you…?"

Ianto wanted to sigh but he bit his tongue. So far Shelly was the only person here to not react violently to his presence. He was not about to make an enemy of someone who was willing to work with him instead of against. So he smiled again and gestured for her to sit.

"Just give me a minute." He picked his pen back up and continued to work on the report in front of him. When he finished a few minutes later he closed the file folder and placed it in a tray labeled 'ready to file' and then turned to the stack that Shelly had brought in.

"So," she said slowly. "How do you like it here so far?"

"Torchwood or Bluemont?" he asked as he scanned the first page.

"Uh, both, I guess." At least he was willing to answer her.

"Considering that this base is severely lacking in some areas, such as security and organization, it's not too bad here. It's also a bit odd to have so many people here, as well as to have days off each week. At Torchwood III we didn't get weekends. And forget holidays. One Christmas Owen and I had to go round up a couple of Weevils and perform an autopsy on some sort of alien dog. I arrived at my sister's house covered in blood and slime and had to make up some sort of…" He trailed off and cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said. "I'm sure you don't want to hear about any of that."

Shelly knew that Sam and Miranda had made more than a few comments about Ianto's tales of Torchwood Cardiff. They saw it as arrogance. 'Oh look at this! We would have done it so much better in Cardiff!' was the attitude that they were spreading around the base whenever a comparison was made. She had also seen the tightly concealed hurt in Ianto's eyes at the comments. Was it any wonder that after the first two days he had begun to speak to them in short, clipped tones and only to hand out assignments and snap out orders?

It wasn't fair, she thought. It was easy for her to understand that everyone was upset at the way that Ianto had come to join them. But it wasn't as if it was his fault. He had been forced to take on the role he now had and she felt sorry for him.

"Actually, there's not much about Torchwood Cardiff on file, just the case reports and lots of those are classified. I'd love to hear more about it. Who was your best friend there?"

Ianto regarded her for a moment. He couldn't see any trace of cruelness in her. She was not merely humoring him, then. In fact her interest seemed genuine.

"Toshiko Sato was my first true friend there. Everyone saw me as a Tea Boy." At her confused look he amended that statement. "I was the office help, nothing more. After a bad experience I had she went and bought everyone coffee. She handed me a cup and smiled. No one had ever bought me a coffee before. That was supposed to be _my_ job. She showed me with a simple cup of badly brewed coffee that she accepted me as a member of the team." Ianto smiled as he remembered finding Tosh later and thanking her quietly for the coffee. It was right after Jack had suspended him and he wanted to talk to her before he left. It had been the start, however small, to their friendship.

"A few weeks later we had a run in with what we thought were aliens but instead they turned out to be cannibals…"

"Ew, gross!" She scrunched her face up in a look of disgust and stuck out her tongue.

Ianto chuckled at the girl's reaction.

"It certainly was. They're still in prison, never to be released. Tosh and I were captured and I helped her escaped, briefly at least. When she had a bad experience a short time later she popped by my flat and we spent the night talking about how our lives had gone to crap. Good times that was."

She giggled. His dry tone had made something as horrible as cannibals and shitty lives seem almost funny. She supposed this was what her mother meant about British wit.

"So she was your best friend?"

"At first, yes. Eventually Jack and I began a sexual relationship that slowly became something more. Sadly, I'm not sure exactly what that something was, but it was special. I could tell him things that I daren't even think about around anyone else. I've suffered from nightmares since Canary Wharf, but whenever I would be with him the nightmares seemed to fade away. And whenever he had a problem, Torchwood or personal, he would come to me. We talked for hours at a time about all sorts of things. I probably knew more about him than anyone. I suppose you could say that while Tosh was my first friend, Jack was my closest friend."

So you two were a couple?"

"I wish I could say." At the confused look sent his way he sighed. "The word 'couple' was not a word that Jack Harkness liked to have in his mental dictionary. Every time I tried to call us as such, whether directly as in 'We're a couple,' or indirectly like 'Oh, she called us a couple,' he would either change the subject or get testy with me."

"That's not too surprising. My boyfriend refused to acknowledge us as a couple for over a year. He'd say I was his girlfriend but that was all. It took one of my college friends saying something about how this other guy and I would make a cute couple for him to finally say that he and I were a couple."

He stared at her. He had never thought of it like that. He remembered quite clearly being afraid to say that Lisa was his girlfriend, let alone that they were a couple right away. Perhaps Jack had felt the same way. Add to that the fact that Jack knew he would have to watch anyone he was involved with die while he kept on living and suddenly it was easy to see why the word 'couple' had caused his lover to grind his teeth.

"Men are clueless," he sighed. "And I'm no exception."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Jack probably would've eventually said we were a couple if I hadn't kept pushing him. He had a jealous streak. If I had made it clear that I could have easily found someone else he might have come aroud, like your boyfriend. If I had simply waited and pushed the _right_ buttons, something would have happened to make him want to call us a 'couple'. But no, I had to push and push for clarification."

"Yeah, men don't like to be pushed. The Talk always seems to scare them off. It was much more simple in my parents' day. A guy didn't ask you out unless he was sure he wanted to date you, at least that's what my mom says."

"Heh." Ianto smiled and looked back at the reports. She hadn't brought them in to have him sign them; she had used work as a front for making conversation. In just a few minutes he had told her more than he had been able to say all week. And she had listened to every word. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked with a confused lokk on her face.

"For talking to me and letting me prattle on. You didn't have to," he pointed out.

"You don't prattle! Besides, I enjoyed hearing about them." She twisted a lock of hair around her finger idly. "That's the thing about the others; they're too mad that you came and took over to bother to get to know you. I was looking forward for days to meeting you."

"You were?" That was a surprise. A pleasant one.

"Yeah. I love meeting new people. Especially people from other countries. I was born and raised here in West Virginia. My parents live in Charleston with my brother. Never could do much traveling except to the beach or sometimes to visit relatives in other states. I've never been out of the country before."

"What made you join Torchwood? If you don't mind my asking that is."

He regretted it when he saw her face. The round visage twisted into a look of pain and he swallowed.

"I'm sorry, it's not my business--"

"No, it's okay," she assured him. She took a breath to calm her nerves. "I had two brothers. The one in Charleston is my little brother. But I was born five minutes before my brother Josh."

"A twin. What happened to him?" He had a terrible feeling it was the direct reason she now hunted and studied aliens.

"Three years ago, Josh and I were out hiking in Kanawha State Forest when this thing appeared in front of us. Josh told me to run. I ran as fast as I could; I thought he was right behind me but when I got back down the trail and to the car I realized I was alone. I ran back up and looked for him. All that was left was his body. He'd been decapitated." She looked away but could see the sorrow etched in Ianto's face with her peripheral vision. " I couldn't leave him there but I knew I needed to get help. I just sat there and cried. I couldn't call anyone. Cell phone reception is horrible up in the woods so I sat there for hours. Shortly after the sun went down Jason showed up with Miranda and Sam. They had been tracking the alien for weeks before it snuck away to Charleston. When they found me they took me to a Torchwood safe house and sedated me. After I woke up the next day they explained to me what had happened."

"Did you believe them?" He thought of the various people he'd encounter through Torchwood III who had direct encounters with aliens and still did not believe. Human beings loved to deny what was right in front of them.

"Yeah. I had seen lots of monster and sci-fi shows. Josh and I went to Cons a lot. There was _no_ _way_ that thing wasn't real; I mean, there were no seams like there would've been if it'd been a costume. Not to mention the fact that Josh was dead. Someone at one of the other bases said it would have been kinder to make me forget what I'd seen. But Jason refused to do a mind-wipe and instead offered to train me so that I could help prevent others from getting hurt. I took a few weeks to think about it. I didn't tell anyone what I'd seen. My family and friends were told it was a wild animal attack. They're rare but do happen. My parents didn't even question it when I said I was moving away to start over. Actually they saw it as a good thing, a way to help me heal."

"What is it they think you do?" His own sister had believed he was a civil servant. It had been an easy enough lie to tell. Perhaps the long-term deception was one of the reasons she wanted him to stay out of her family's life…

"Well, I'm a researcher here so they think that's what I do. I just never bothered to tell them that it's aliens I research."

"Owen Harper, Torchwood Cardiff's medic had a somewhat similar experience. His fiancé was killed when an alien took over her brain. He actually tried to find Jack to find out what happened and Jack offered him a job. He took it to help prevent more deaths, just like you. But unlike you he let his demons affect him to the point that he was bitter at the world. Every time we thought he was starting to live again something would happen to make him angry and his bitterness grew."

"That's so sad. That's terrible." She twisted her hair. She could sympathize with the dead man. "The poor thing!"

"It was indeed sad. He let his sorrow eat away at him the rest of his life. He faced his demons in the end at least. I only wish that I could be as brave or strong. I'm glad that _you_ have proven to be strong enough to carry on." He set his pen down and looked her in the eye.

"And I'm glad that you came in here to chat." He smiled at her, a real smile. "Perhaps we can do it again?"

Shelly beamed; her smile lit up the room. He couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe he could do this after all. Maybe there was something good about his life.

"I'd like that!"

"Me too."

To Ianto's surprise, and Shelly's delight, he meant it.

~_~_~

Part Eight: Frustration

Jason scowled as he watched Ianto and Shelly chat by the coffee maker. It had been ten days, ten long days since Ianto Jones had swooped down and taken over their lives and Torchwood Bluemont. Everyone was feeling the strain of the new routine and were not dealing well. Except for Shelly. Shelly not only was just fine with the changes but she was also busy making friends with Ianto. It had been ten long, stressful days for them all just watching the bond forming.

It had also been ten long, stressful days for Jason on a personal level. Every single night when he arrived home from work he would finish up reports, watch some television or go out with friends. When he finally wore himself out enough he would pour himself into bed and go to sleep. Inevitably he would dream. The dreams always involved Ianto and himself and were shown in perfect clarity and detail. They were also the most sensual dreams that Jason Monroe had ever experienced in his entire life.

They also guaranteed that every single morning since Ianto's arrival at Torchwood Bluemont that Jason awoke and with difficulty made his way to the shower. To the very cold shower. He hadn't taken a hot shower since his first glimpse of Jones. It was starting to become more than a little frustrating. He had even gone so far as to get himself as drunk as possible last night but the dreams still came, as did he in the morning.

"Jason! Rift activity!"

Jason turned to face Miranda and he called out, "Sam! Get your ass out to the car!"

"I'm going too."

Everyone turned to look at Ianto. In his immaculate three-piece suit he did not look like the type to do field work. He looked better suited (pardon the pun) to being behind a desk.

"I don't think so," Miranda said as she grabbed her field bag.

One single, perfectly groomed eyebrow rose.

"I said that I'm going too."

"No way, man," Sam said. "I'm not gonna watch your ass when I have work to do."

"Trust me, Sam," Ianto drawled. "My arse doesn't need watching."

Jason couldn't help but love the way that the British, and most importantly Ianto Jones, said arse instead of ass. The extra letter drew out the single syllable word in an impossibly sexy way that made him suddenly have to think of his grandmother in order to banish his arousal away.

"Fine," Sam snapped. "But if your Armani suit gets a tear, don't come crying to me, Import."

Ianto smirked and set his coffee cup down. "I've seen far worse things than you seem to think. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, sure, sure," one of the others muttered.

Shelly flashed Ianto a smile and waved as they all headed out the door.

Jason was certain that this day was not going to end well.

~_~_~

Three hours later and Jason really hated Ianto Jones.

They had arrived at the site of the Rift activity to find a group of reptilian bipedal aliens that seemed to think that earth was the perfect place to play war games. Using a device that roughly translated the alien languages they had in the database they had been able to get the visitors to understand that earth was not an ideal location. The aliens activated a device that took them back into the Rift and, presumably, back home. Mission accomplished.

That was when it went to shit.

Ianto wanted them to run scans of the area, looking for any clues as to what the aliens had been. Any thing that the aliens may have come into contact with was subjected to the scans and samples were taken. What normally would have taken them half an hour to do (send the aliens home) took over three hours. They were all short on patience but tall on temper when Ianto insisted on exploring a cave nearby that was showing traces of Rift activity. The traces were from a few days before and had nothing to do with the current activity but he insisted anyway.

"It's what Jack would have done," he'd said in that arrogant manner he had.

In annoyance Jason had told the other two to finish and pack up the van so they could get ready to head out. He then followed Ianto and they got into a rather heated argument about the differences in the way they ran things.

Once they reached the small cave Ianto stepped inside and turned on his flashlight, which he insisted on calling a torch, and took a look around. All that they could see was dirt and a few bugs. Ianto had gone in deeper. Jason cursed and made to follow when the ground shook. He tumbled forward and fell against Ianto. Before they could right themselves the mouth of the cave was closed off and the only source of light they had was the flashlight.

With only one bar of power (stupid non-reception) Jason had called Miranda and told her to get help to dig them out. That had been over an hour ago.

Now he was stuck sitting on the ground with only Ianto Jones for company. He wasn't scared; he'd seen a lot throughout his various careers. He was pissed though.

"This is your fault."

"How do you figure that?"

"If you hadn't insisted on coming along, we'd've been back home ages ago."

"I've not yet accompanied any of you onto the field and since I'm trained to do that, I decided that now would be the perfect opportunity to see what areas need to be improved."

"You fuckin' bastard!"

"There's no need to get so angry. After all, I'm just doing my job."

"It's not _what_ you're doing, it's _how_ you're doing it! Do you enjoy looking down your nose at us? Do you enjoy writing us up for the smallest things? Does it turn you on to piss me off?"

Ianto gave him a dirty look.

"Trust me, Monroe, there is _nothing_ about you that turns me on."

That did it. Jason was not so vain or arrogant to be upset when someone was not turned on by him. Different people had different tastes; shit happened. Even with his record for sleeping with beautiful, sexy people he had been rejected loads of times. Big deal, life went on. Hit on the next available hottie.

What made Jason lose it was the look in Ianto's eyes. It did not match his words. The little creep was telling him two different things. His mouth said 'I hate your guts, go away' but his eyes said 'I want you, fuck me now.'

Jason snarled and flung himself onto the slighter man. Ianto let out a cry as he was pinned to the ground. He tried to wrench himself free and was stopped by the mouth that demanded -- no, forced its way past his own lips. The hot tongue hungrily ravaged Ianto's mouth while hard hands worked their way over his trembling body.

It wasn't that he didn't want Jason and _that_ was why he was trembling.

_No, he's not Jack! I only want Jack! _

Yet it wasn't true. He had felt the first stirrings of sexual desire since his revival the day he had met Jason Monroe. Since he had died five years ago he had not been able to experience many of the things that he had taken for granted. He could empathize with Owen on many levels. Not being able to enjoy sexual stimulation had not bothered him before as he had wanted only to be with Jack and Jack was gone forever. Meeting Jason had sent a surge of heat through his body that had nearly overwhelmed him ten days back. It was only by sheer willpower that he had been able to keep his desire hidden. The subsequent dreams each night hadn't helped.

And now Jason's talented hands and tongue were bringing out his more sexual side. He was mortified to hear the way he moaned when Jason pulled away from his mouth to explore his neck. It was not like any moan he'd ever made before.

_Jack, think of Jack._

It didn't help because the sexual Ianto was comparing Jack to Jason and that made rational Ianto surrender to the primal needs of them both.

Jason had his hands under Ianto's shirt and waistcoat. He could feel the other's arousal and smirked into the pale neck. He moved his hands down, tugging at Ianto's belt.

If his cell phone hadn't chosen that moment to ring they were both certain what would have happened.

As Jason pulled himself up and grabbed his phone Ianto covered his face with his hands and tried not to cry.

Sex with the boss. Again. This could not be happening.

~_~_~

Part Nine: Surrender

The drive back into town had been tense and silent. Other than being covered in dirt Ianto and Jason had seemed fine so the others figured that the reason for the silence was that the two men had argued while trapped inside the cave.

Once they'd returned to the base Ianto had shut himself up in his office without a word and only came out a couple hours later to leave.

Jason watched him from a doorway as he left. He had showered and changed (Ianto hadn't even done that) yet he could still feel and smell the younger man on him. The two sensations had caused him to have to work out his frustrations in the shower (cold again) and he knew that this could not continue.

He waited two hours before he grabbed his coat and left, heading for Ianto's.

~_~_~

Upon returning to the small apartment Ianto ripped off his clothes and climbed into the tub to take a shower. He leant against the tiled wall and tried to reconcile his conflicting thoughts. He loved Jack; he knew that in his heart. He would always love the Captain no matter what. However he could not help the way his heart thudded against his chest whenever Jason was near (Thu-thump thu-thump). Nor could he control his body when he slept.

This wasn't fair. Why couldn't it have been Jack to find and revive him before? He wouldn't be going through this now if Jack had never left.

_You've loved two people at the same time before._

He tried to ignore the memories that pushed themselves to the surface. Yes, he had all ready fallen for Jack when he was still trying desperately to save Lisa. Yes, when he was making love to Jack he had often thought of Lisa. When he had been dying in Jack's arms he had been thinking of both of his true loves.

But this was different. It had to be, he could not, would not allow himself to fall in love when there was even the slightest chance that one day Jack would come back to him.

_But he's impossible to resist…_

Jason Monroe was indeed. Ianto didn't know what to do.

He finished his shower and pulled on jeans and a long sleeved tee shirt. He padded barefoot into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of beer and tossed it back, paying homage to his heritage by downing the entire bottle in less than eight seconds. He waited for the rush to subside and then he grabbed another bottle.

He walked over to the bookcase he had purchased a few days back and picked up a book at random. He settled himself onto the couch and began to read. He was just finishing Jurassic Park when the doorbell chimed. Rising from his seat he set the book down and walked to the door. He should have looked through the peephole. He may have been able to forget what happened in the cave if he had.

Instead, Ianto was too exhausted and frustrated to think clearly. He twisted the doorknob and looked up to see the dark eyes of Jason Monroe looking back at him.

The silence was as palatable now as it had been in the van. They stared at each other for several moments.

It was too much. After years of no stimulation, the thought of going back to that was simply unacceptable. At least that's what rational Ianto tried to use as an excuse for what happened next.

Ianto reached out and pulled Jason into the room. He gripped the back of Jason's head and pulled it down so that their lips met in a brutal kiss.

Jason took control and crushed Ianto to him, full flush. His hands roamed freely over the slender body as he kicked the door closed. When Ianto's hands began to unbutton Jason's shirt the older man growled and pulled back.

Before Ianto could protest at the space between them he was lifted forcefully into Jason's strong arms. Well this was certainly different from being with Jack. Even at his most romantic, Jack had never carried him to bed. Yet now Ianto was clutching onto Jason's broad shoulders while the other man crossed the room with swift purposeful strides..

Jason made short work of removing their clothes and kissed Ianto's panting mouth. He knew he was being rough, he could almost feel the tender skin of Ianto's lips bruising beneath his own. But dammit he was more aroused, more excited than he had ever been with a lover. He forced himself to ease up the pressure, both of his lips and his hands. He was certain Ianto would have bruises on his arms as well tomorrow.

_Gentle, be gentle. It's been a long time for him. And you have the memory of Captain Jack Harkness to contend with._

Gentle, he could do gentle. Hell, he wanted to. It wasn't as if he could forget that he was in Ianto's bed so he knew that there was a distinct possibility that he would find himself here again. He could easily see Ianto as his lover.

Lover. God it had been years since he'd had a lover. Sure he'd slept with a lot of people but that didn't make them lovers. He had only done flings and one night stands since his divorce twelve years ago. He refused to commit to anyone and yet here he was all ready thinking of taking Ianto Jones as his lover fulltime.

And when Jason Monroe wanted something he did not give it up easily.

If he had to make sweet, desperate, passionate love to Ianto in order to make him forget Jack Fuckin' Harkness, then he'd do it. _All. Night. L o n g._

Jason pressed Ianto gently down on the bed. He kissed his sweaty forehead and slowly began to run his fingers over the naked flesh. He lightly sucked at Ianto's neck, drawing out the most exquisite of sounds. The sounds drew him in and he began his journey down the long, lean body. He only stopped when he reached the small puckered navel and he lavished it with his tongue.

"Jason…"

Ianto's voice was like a song that he couldn't get out of his head. He cherished every single sound, each word that was uttered from those kiss-bruised lips. Lips that were even now parted with pants and gasps and moans.

"Jason, make love to me. Now, please!"

Jason sat up and placed his hands on Ianto's trembling thighs. He gently but firmly parted them and looked down at the arousal that met his gaze.

Ianto wanted him as much as he wanted Ianto. That alone made the tortuous foreplay of the last week and a half worth it. He was going to take his time. He was going to learn everything he could about the gorgeous Welshman laying on the bed looking up at him in complete abandon and total desire.

"Oh believe me, I will."

When Ianto let out a cry of ecstasy a few hours later Jason could not help but feel pleased.

It had been _his_ name that had been torn from those beautiful lips.

~_~_~

Sunlight peeked in through the blinds and woke Ianto up. He opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head up from the nice warm pillow it was on. He saw Jason lying beneath him still asleep. His face flushed as he realized that the pillow was really Jason's muscular (but comfortable) chest.

Shit.

Last night (and part of the very early morning) came back in a rush and he bit worriedly at his lip. He silently cursed himself for surrendering to his sexual desires and sleeping with Jason.

_Oh, but it was so much more than that. You actually begged him to take you!_

_Thank you so much for reminding me_, he thought darkly.

He could remember it all. Every sound he'd made, every touch from Jason's hands. He could vividly recall the way it had felt when Jason had breached his body the first time.

The sensations stirred his desire even now. He took several slow breaths in an attempt to calm his body down.

"We slept together, might as well accept that fact and go back to sleep."

Ianto started and looked into the very same eyes that had trapped him last night.

"Unless you're looking to take a shower… or a ride. Then by all means, move."

"Shut up," Ianto muttered. He really wished that his body would respond to his own words and not Jason's but no it had to go and betray him again.

The chest beneath him shook slightly as Jason chuckled. In one swift movement he had reversed their positions and once again had Ianto pinned to the mattress.

"If it weren't for the fact that your body doesn't match your tone…" He captured Ianto's lips and explored the moist mouth at his leisure. The sound that came from Ianto was of pure need. It would be a lie to say that Jason did not enjoy being the one to bring out the wanton side of the other man.

As Ianto reached around and gripped his bare ass with both hands, pulling him closer Jason seriously doubted that they were going into work today.

And he didn't care.

~_~_~


	2. Parts 10 thru 16 plus Timeline

This story is a continuous work-in-progress. Because I am only one step (maybe two) ahead of you (my readers) I see and discover little mistakes and inconsistencies several days AFTER posting each new part. As a result there have been some changes made to the first installments (Parts 1 - 9). Most of the changes are minor and do not matter if you have all ready read the story. These additions mostly just add more depth to the characters and the story as a whole. Please let me know if you notice any major or minor mistakes as you read the story of Torchwood America. Thanks in advance!!!!

~_~_~

TORCHWOOD AMERICA

~_~_~

Part 10: Control

It had been eighteen days since Ianto Jones had joined Torchwood Bluemont. Eight days had passed since Jason Monroe had gone to Ianto Jones's apartment and taken the Welshman as his lover. It had also, by sheer coincidence, been eight days since Ianto Jones had last dreamt about the darkness and a lifetime of regrets.

He had given up that first morning after on understanding where his life was headed. Instead of dwelling on the 'what ifs' and the 'shoulda coulda woulda's', he attempted to simply live his life, no matter where it was headed. Especially as it was becoming whatever it wanted to be without his say-so. For now that meant that every night for just about a week he had fallen into a nightmare free sleep while lying next to Jason after a round of incredible, intense, extremely acrobatic sex.

The relationship was similar to the one he'd had with Jack. Jason's mere presence took up the room and overwhelmed his lover's every sense the instant he entered. He commanded respect from everyone around him and he worked diligently to defend and prepare the earth from future alien threats. On a more personal level, the sex was _amazing_; it was as innovative and avant-garde as it had been with Jack. Ianto's personal satisfaction was indeed very important to his older, talented lover. The way that Ianto reacted to Jason's touch was also very much as he had reacted to Jack's touch (he was so glad that he had not cried out the wrong name). There was another similarity to Ianto's previous relationship. It was also the one thing that was the hardest to bear. Ianto watched as countless people fell for his lover's charms while he stood by quietly.

The relationship was also very _different_ from the one he'd had with Jack. Jason and Ianto had both set strict boundaries in order for them to keep Torchwood and their sex life separate. When they were on Torchwood time, be it scheduled or not, they were in full work mode. They worked quickly and efficiently to investigate Rift activity, help out lost and scared aliens and scavenge alien technology for their own use. They did not share intimate touches or meet in the Archives for a brief hook-up; they did not steal kisses in dark corners or send each other steamy text messages and heated glances; they did nothing besides work when they were at work. Ianto was quite glad that they both wanted to keep their burgeoning relations private. No one, as far as he could tell, even suspected that they did not still loath each other with the passion of raging bulls.

That suited him just fine. He had his reasons for keeping things as quiet and secret as possible.

For starters, he did not want a carbon-copied version of what he'd had with Jack. Not only was that not fair to Jason, it was also not fair to Jack or himself. Yes, Jason's personality was very much 'Captain Jack' but the way that the man reacted to Ianto was very different. He knew deep inside that if it had been _Jason_ at Cardiff when Lisa got loose then he would have killed Ianto for his deception instead of suspending him. There would have been no second chance for Ianto under Jason Monroe's authority. And while Ianto would be forever grateful that Jack had neither killed nor Retconned him, he also could not help but respect that Jason put his duty as a Torchwood leader above his own personal needs.

He had no doubt that Jack and Jason would not get along if it were they who had been pushed together. Both were fierce alpha males who would sooner die than lose to one another.

It was unfair to all involved to compare the two relationships as Ianto had been thinking that perhaps his dream was right -- it was time for him to move on without giving up or forgetting his love for Jack. Ianto was finally starting to accept that Jack was never going to come back to earth, would not be returning to take him away from all of the pain and emptiness. He wasn't sure if he was meant to be with Jason forever or not but he was not going to sully a good thing, not when it was the first thing that had made him feel truly alive since being pulled out of the ground and out of the darkness.

After all, according to the calendar he'd hung on the wall next to his bed he had not had a single nightmare in eight days. He had been able to get more than a couple hours sleep as no nightmares had come to him while he slept next to Jason. Ianto was unsure what that meant. He wasn't even sure if that meant that the nightmares were never coming back or if they were simply on holiday. He prayed for the former but expected the latter.

Despite the confusion he felt concerning his changing relationship with his leader Ianto was not cringing in fear. He refused to back away when Jason was near; instead he met him straight on. It was actually quite terrifying and exhilarating. When they were not on Torchwood time, the relationship came out in full force. It was not a typical give-and-take relationship either. There was nothing Ianto could do but submit to his raw desires when he was alone with Jason. Jason was in complete control.

This did not mean that Ianto had reason to fear his lover. Jason was not abusive or demanding (except that he expected Ianto's full attention to be on _him_ when they were in bed) but his dominance over Ianto had been established that first night. At first Ianto had been intimidated by the intense power over him but he quickly saw that Jason was not doing it deliberately. It was in actuality Ianto who had allowed the other man to take control of him. He had not only begged Jason to take his body, he had pleaded with Jason to take control of his soul.

That was what frightened Ianto.

He wasn't sure why he wanted Jason to control him, he was just grateful that Jason was willing to assert his power without having to be told. He was also baffled (though pleased) that though Jason was in control it was not in a Master/Slave manner. Jason demanded, with words and actions in place of threats, that Ianto tell him what he wanted each night. He had learned quickly exactly what sort of touches would get what sort of response. He had also catalogued every sound that Ianto made as well as what each twitch of his body or expression on his face meant. He would go gentle and slow or hard and fast depending on what shade of blue his lover's eyes were or by the way he tilted his head. It was as if they had been lovers for years instead of merely days.

That was the why and how of Jason Monroe's power over Ianto Jones.

He put Ianto's sexual pleasure far above his own and strove every time they were off the clock to satisfy his young lover. Ianto had no complaints.

True, it would have been nice to go out on a date or even just spend the evening watching bad American television instead of simply engaging themselves in the act of copulation. Sadly though, Ianto was prepared to settle for having only his sexual needs met in a relationship. His emotional needs would have to come last, if at all. Ianto knew that he was not meant to fall in love and live happily ever after. He had once thought that he would get married, have a family of his own and lead a content, fulfilling life. Then came Canary Wharf, the Daleks and the Cybermen. Lisa had been lost that day; it had just taken him a while to realize that. She had been the closest to 'normal' he would ever get. After her, his life had spiraled completely out of his control.

He had many regrets yet did not regret anything about his relationship with Jack. He had understood from the beginning that while Jack had been amazing and wonderful at helping him heal from losing Lisa, he would never have been truly happy with the man. But he did not blame the other man. It wasn't Jack's fault that he could never die or grow old with him. Even if Jack had been able to stay with Ianto until he himself had grown old and died, Ianto had never kidded himself that it would happen. No, if the 456 had never come and Ianto had managed to live long enough to get old and retire, Jack would have left him when the wrinkles and gray hair came. He knew that and had accepted it even before he knew of Jack's immortality. When Jack had been in the trancelike coma caused by the dead telephone line he remembered telling Jack that he knew that he would not hang around to watch Ianto grow old. He said that Jack would eventually tire of Ianto and leave him for someone younger and attractive. He couldn't blame him even though it had been upsetting. Jack was not going to age, at least not in Ianto's lifetime, so it would not have been pleasant for him to watch his lover's body change so drastically in such a short period of time. It would have been different if Jack's aging process had been normal but it was not something that Ianto needed to fret over now. That part of his life was over, finished. He could not go back to what he had been or had before but it was okay. No, he did not regret being involved with Captain Jack Harkness, even though he had a lifetime of regrets.

Now he was involved with a man who was not only mortal but had enough sexual magnetism for five men. It was actually quite exciting. He coped by telling himself that there was no such thing as true love, that love was something that had made him weak. He told himself that letting himself believe in love before was the mistake that had ended his life. He would not allow himself to make that same mistake again. No, he was quite satisfied at where he was.

~_~_~

Jason was amazed at the direction his life had taken in the last eight days. When he had first gone to the small apartment above the grocery store his only intention had been to shamelessly satisfy his body's insistent need for Ianto. However as he had loomed over the trembling figure he had been overcome with the need to satisfy Ianto instead of himself.

He had always seen himself as a considerate and generous lover but the level of control that Ianto had over him had caused him to want to be even more considerate. All ready he knew what the various expressions and sounds of Ianto's face and mouth meant. He could determine just by looking at the way Ianto's foot bounced or the way he bit his lip if he wanted Jason to be rough or tender.

He could tell that Ianto believed that Jason had all of the power in their twisted relationship. It was so completely untrue that he wanted to tell the other man. It was easy to see whenever he looked at Ianto, whenever they were together that it was Ianto, not Jason who was in control.

It terrified Jason just how much he wanted Ianto. The first time he had seen Ianto he had known then that Ianto Jones was something special. The first time he had kissed Ianto's soft, inviting mouth he had known he would never be satisfied with another pair of lips. The first time that he had slept with Ianto he knew that he had fallen in love.

Unfortunately there was no way that Jason could truly claim Ianto as his own. Ianto was truly devastated and lost without Harkness. Jason knew that. He could feel it deep inside whenever they were together. It was the reason, the only reason, that he kept their relationship purely sexual. He wanted it to be more, he wanted to take Ianto out on dates and show him off. He wanted to take Ianto home to Michigan to meet his parents. He wanted to show his ex-wife that _HA!_ he was indeed capable of more than casual fucks, that he was capable of loving someone so completely that he couldn't imagine a second apart from his lover. But Ianto was far too broken and afraid of life to be that with him. So he kept it driven by physical lust and animalistic desire.

No, until Ianto was able to accept that Harkness was never going to come back for him, the younger man would not be able to make room in his heart for another. So Jason kept his needs and affection hidden in carefully woven words of lust and desire. He just hoped that he did not break while waiting for Ianto to see that what he wanted so desperately could be had with him.

Ianto Jones had complete and absolute control of Jason's heart and soul.

And it was tearing him apart.

~_~_~

Shelly watched Jason and Ianto interact with one another. A small frown marred her rounded face as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. It was quite clear that the two men had experienced some sort of epiphany yet it was unclear what exactly had happened.

Jason handed a folder to his Second and turned to talk to Miranda. Ianto looked down at the folder's contents and that was when she saw it. Out of the corner of his eye Ianto looked at Jason was a look of longing.

"I need some extra hands here, please!" Jenny called out, breaking the spell between the two men.

Ianto closed the folder and headed in the direction of his office and Shelly ducked her head to hide her smiled as she watched Jason's eyes follow Ianto as he walked away.

_Ooh, now this is getting interesting._

Jason Monroe and Ianto Jones were both very in-control people. Both of them were unafraid of saying what was on their minds and would not hesitate to do whatever it took to get the job done.

The tension that had been present since the first day (she could now see that it was sexual tension) had increased over the last week. She couldn't help but wonder if they had all ready slept together. If they hadn't she had no doubt that they would soon. Jason Monroe was a man who was difficult to resist and Ianto Jones was a man who needed someone willing to fight for him.

She smiled as she turned back to her computer. She also had no doubt that Jason Monroe was up to the task of wooing Ianto Jones. And she was ecstatic.

~_~_~

Part 11: The First Message

TO: "J. Monroe, Bluemont"

FROM: "G. Cooper-Williams, Cardiff"

SUBJECT: Expansion

Hello! I'm aware that contact between the different nations is rare but as you are situated on a Rift that is very similar (though more stable it seems) to the one TW III is on I was hoping that you would forget the 'lack of communication' between our nations and help me out if possible.

I suppose I should introduce myself first. My name is Gwen Cooper-Williams and I am Second in Command at TW III in Cardiff, Wales, UK. I have been working for TW for about seven years so I know a little something about the Rift. You may recall a few years back when the Rift in Cardiff splintered and cracked, sending the world into chaos. Yes, that was our fault, I must admit. Thankfully everything was all right in the end and only those of us here at TW III and, I presume, TW Bluemont know about the exact circumstances, what with us both being sat on a Rift in Time and Space.

The reason I am writing you is that after several months of monitoring the Rift on our end and running countless experiments we have concluded that the Rift is expanding once again. The difference this time is that it appears to be of natural, not human, causes. Using a mix of both earth and non-earth technology we have been able to determine that our Rift is slowly but steadily spreading to merge with the Rift in Bluemont. Naturally, this is a cause of great concern. All sorts of trouble and chaos could come from this. We're hoping that nothing bad will come as a result of the expansion but we are being cautious.

A packet, sealed and requiring you to use your TW Level seven clearance codes in order to open it, is being shipped to you. It should arrive at your base tomorrow. Contact me via e-mail if it is delayed for more than 24 hours as it could mean that there is interference. The packet contains all of our data broken down into small, manageable sections so that you can sort through it quickly.

Please discuss it with your team and contact me as soon as you can. If the Rifts are indeed merging then it's quite possible that the world is in grave danger. Again.

Thank you for your time and please respond at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Gwen Cooper-Williams

P.S. I neglected to mention this but my boss, Captain Jack Harkness does not want anyone outside of TW III to know about this Rift situation until we have a better idea of what's happening. Please contact me directly using a non-work e-mail and the subject heading "Anniversary Plans". Things of that sort terrify him so he would not even think of reading my e-mail if he wants to avoid anything 'mushy'.

~_~_~

Jason stared at the monitor, his face blank. The screen glowed softly in the otherwise dimly lit office as the official Torchwood Employee Electronic Messaging Service web page stared back at him.

Gwen Cooper-Williams… She had been employed at Cardiff since a few months after Ianto had been taken on. She had been there during the 456 takeover attempt five years ago when Ianto had been exposed to the alien virus that had killed him (or so they'd thought).

But she had gone on record as leaving Torchwood Cardiff to live with her husband and raise a family in Swansea without the complications of aliens. As for Torchwood Cardiff itself; it had been destroyed five years ago and the base had never been rebuilt, the hole from the explosion had been filled and the whole place was now a shopping center and car park.

And Harkness…

Captain Jack Harkness, Ianto's former lover, had vanished without a trace six months after the whole mess was over and done with. No one knew where he was or if he was even alive.

Jason logged out of his e-mail without replying and leaned back in his chair. He was unsure exactly what to think. When the Cardiff base had been destroyed all of the other Torchwoods had received word of its destruction. Bluemont was in constant contact with the bases in Canada, Utah and New York and they had engaged in a heated discussion five years back concerning the fate of the Cardiff base.

_Someone_ was lying to him. _Someone_ was deceiving him. He was _not_ happy.

He seriously doubted it was anyone from the other North American bases; he had met with them many times and knew them quite well on a personal basis. Unfortunately there were several other bases scattered throughout the world that he had little or no contact with. In fact the last time he had spoken to any one outside of North America had been two years ago. A base located in Egypt had needed some information on an alien that Bluemont had encountered all ready. Other than sending an e-mail with the alien details to them, there had been no more communication between West Virginia and Egypt.

So why was he receiving e-mail from someone who supposedly was no longer affiliated with Torchwood at all? And Harkness; if he'd been around all this time why hadn't he come for Ianto?

Ianto… His thoughts strayed towards his lover who was sitting with Shelly. He looked at them through the tinted window of his office. He frowned as he considered the possibilities.

What if _he_ was the one lying to them?

No! He refused to believe that. There was no way that he would sleep with someone who would betray and use him like that. No way.

_Ah, but he's deceived people before. Remember Harkness' notes on the Cyberman hidden in the Hub? Ianto put it there. All he got was the equivalent to a slap on the wrist for nearly putting the world in danger. Who's to say he isn't using deception even now? Harkness could be here now, watching you and waiting for the opportune time to strike._

He had been in this line of work for most of his life. He was not the type of person to easily fall for someone who lied and deceived him for their own malicious purposes. Not even his ex-wife had deceived or tricked him in any way, shape or form. He refused to believe that his lover was involved in a conspiracy.

No, Ianto Jones was not a serpent that was ready to bite.

It was someone else. He just didn't know who. For now he would keep this to himself. He would not involve his team until he had more concrete facts. He did not doubt the loyalty of any of his employees but he would not tell them anything, not yet. He would protect them as best he could. He would keep control of things before they got bad. And it was going to get bad, that much he knew.

If Torchwood Cardiff and Jack Harkness were still around then he had to find out why all the lies and why had Ianto been sent here to West Virginia?

He had to protect his team and his lover, as he was certain, beyond a shadow of doubt, that they were all in danger.

And he found it completely unacceptable.

~_~_~

Part 12: Dilemma

It had been three days since he had _not_ responded to Cooper's e-mail. The promised package had arrived and sat in a locked drawer of his desk. It was unopened. Jason knew that he was running out of time. She expected a response soon to her query and he knew that he had at most a week to reply before she (or whoever she really was) contacted him again. He figured he could buy some time by saying that his team was still checking the data and running some tests of their own but he doubted he could get more than a couple extra days.

So far his own investigation had gotten him nowhere. Wary of spies and tracking software he had purchased a new laptop and taken it to an internet café a few miles from the base or to other places with free wi-fi access. There he spent hours at a time hacking into the servers of the various Torchwood bases but he had yet to find anything substantial. He was beginning to suspect that whoever was behind the deception had people employed at various locations and were feeding him (and the other Torchwoods) false data.

He was beyond frustrated and it was beginning to show. He had gone off on nearly everyone for no good reason at least twice. He could hardly get more than a few hours' sleep each night (and that was after thoroughly wearing both Ianto and himself out, twice!) and he was grabbing for the stash of energy drinks that Sam kept in the refrigerator. They were all trying to just stay out of his way and give him the space he obviously needed. They had seen him get broody many times, usually something to do with the government, and decided that he was to be left alone.

Only one person even tried to talk to him. On the afternoon of the third day Ianto brought him a coffee (_damn_, he had never had such fantastic coffee before. He was going to have to insist that Ianto brew him a pot every day from now on) and had whispered in his ear that he would be most _appreciative_ if Jason could do that 'little bit with your tongue that made my toes curl' when he stopped by that evening after work. Normally this would be against the boundaries they had established so he knew that Ianto knew something was bothering him. Or he was worried that Jason had all ready tired of him, which Jason could safely say was totally untrue. So he had told Ianto to get back to work and he'd take his 'suggestion' into account. Once he'd sent everyone home and gave Ianto time to get back to his place, he'd gone back to his own home and changed before heading to the small apartment and reducing his lover to a mass of quivering limbs and tingling nerves. The gibberish that had spewed forth from that delectable mouth had probably been Welsh. Hell, even if it had been nothing but incoherent sound it had turned him on.

Now he sat on the couch as naked as the day he was born drinking a beer and trying to work out his dilemma. He was going to have to enlist the aid of the team in order to learn the truth. He wanted to keep Ianto out of it, no, he _had_ to keep Ianto out of it. He knew that some of the others (like Sam and Miranda) would immediately try to pin the blame on his lover and if he took Ianto's side it would not only expose their affair but make him seem biased or influenced by the young man. He could not afford to take the risk, not when there were lives at stake.

He looked over at the bed and could not help but smile as he thought of the coupling they had engaged in earlier. It was the second one of the evening. To say that he had been satisfied was an understatement. Ianto had turned the tables and demanded that _he_ be allowed to run the show. The next couple of hours had been completely wild and untamed as Ianto tried to erase the bad thoughts from his mind.

Too bad he hadn't succeeded, it would have meant that right now Jason would be curled up in bed next to the warm body and having the most wonderful dreams that would have made him want his alluring lover a third time.

"Such a serious face."

Jason started and looked at his lover, who was sitting up on the bed, rubbing a hand over his sleep-filled eyes. "Did I wake you?" He hated how his lover always seemed more tired than he should have been. It was something he was going to have Jenny look into soon.

"No, the empty bed did that. But it's up to you to remedy the situation."

Even half-sleep Ianto was sexy. And incredibly hard to resist. Too bad they both needed the sleep more than the sex.

Jason stood and finished his beer before walking back to the bed. He pulled back the covers and settled himself against the other man. Ianto twisted around so that his body was curled around Jason's and he rested his head against the broad chest with a contented sigh.

"Whatever it was that woke you up and kept you awake will still be there in the morning. Now go to sleep."

Jason fixed his arms securely around the slight waist and closed his eyes.

It was funny how it was just sex but it seemed like so much more.

~_~_~

Sam, Miranda and Jenny sat at a booth in Applebee's with Jason the next afternoon. He had texted them all that morning and asked them to meet him to discuss something important. It was a Saturday and as long as the Rift behaved they all had the day off. They waited until after their meal had arrived before talking.

"So what's the problem?" Miranda asked as she unfolded her napkin onto her lap.

"I'll be blunt. I think we're being deceived. There's some kind of conspiracy going on."

Jason sipped his water, watching their faces.

"You mean Ianto?" Jenny asked while Sam scowled.

"I received an e-mail from a Gwen Cooper from Cardiff, aka, TW III, a few days back. According to all the reports I read and Ianto as well, she's no longer employed by the Institute. In fact, the Cardiff base has supposedly been rebuilt into a shopping plaza and the Rift is unchecked. However, a Gwen Cooper contacted me with news about the two Rifts. Also, according to Cooper, Captain Harkness is also back and in charge -- something else that contradicts what Ianto told us."

"So ask him, then," Sam said with a shrug.

"Not that simple. Right after he came here I got the files on Ianto and they matched his story as well as what I'd read previously. I'm not saying that he doesn't have something to do with it but until we have proof I'm not pointing fingers. And neither are you. We can't afford the risk of tearing the team apart with suspicion."

Jenny carefully cut her steak and took a bite before speaking. "In other words, he might have been deceived as well. Or if he _is_ the one doing the deceiving if we say something to him it could get bad. He could turn on us before we know what hits us."

"That's exactly right," Jason said. Not that he believed for a second that the young man he'd slept next to last night was his enemy. He looked at his teammates. "I've been trying to find out anything I can but I think the servers have been tampered with. Someone is making sure that I can't find answers. I didn't want to involve you all until I had an idea of what we're up against but I've reached a dead-end."

"Well," Sam said. "If it's a hacking job then we need to get Susan or Bobby involved. No one can hack into computer systems and servers like they can."

"We'll get Susan to do it," Jason said. He reached for his salad and drizzled dressing onto it. They never gave enough dressing in these places, as far as he was concerned. He liked to drown his salad, to saturate it, dammit. "I want as few of us as possible to work on or even know about this. If there _is_ a conspiracy of some sort, the fewer involved the better."

Miranda frowned, deep in thought. "Maybe we should look to see if this Cooper chick is the real thing. I mean, if she's still a TW employee then there's bound to be a way of getting in touch with her without relying on e-mail or arousing suspicion."

"I have a cousin living in London," Jenny offered. "I could call him and ask him to see if she's really there. Do you know where the Cardiff base is located now?"

"No, but it used to be near the bay, under a tourist office. I can get the exact location from Ianto and give you the address."

"Good. I'll have my cousin go take a look and just tell us what he finds."

"I'll talk to Ianto as soon as I get to the base."

"He loves to work weekends, huh?" Sam said with a shake of his head. "I mean, yeah, I go in when I _need_ to but he never does anything other than work! He needs to get laid, if you ask me."

The girls sputtered and Jason's hand tightened on his fork at the thought of Ianto in bed with someone other than him. Thankfully the girls were chiding Sam for his rudeness and no one noticed his own reaction.

No, Ianto was _not_ going to get laid by anyone other than _him_.

"Okay, now that you know why I've been The Boss From Hell these last few days, let's keep this on the down-low until I can talk to Susan and we hear from Jenny's cousin. No mention of anything, don't sneak off to chat about it, especially _not in the base_. I don't want to think of anyone there being an enemy but it's entirely possible that the place is crawling with bugs. There's also a chance that whoever's running the show is close by, watching us. So no one knows that we're sitting here talking about anything except the weather. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, now let's eat."

"And just so you know," Sam said. "I still think Ianto Jones needs to get laid."

~_~_~

Part 13: Worth A Thousand Words

CARDIFF, WALES

Jenny's cousin had received her phone call that same evening. He had sent a reply saying that he would drive to Cardiff in the morning and stop by the address she'd given him. All he knew was that she wanted pictures of the place and for him to play the part of a tourist needing directions. He was also supposed to ask whoever was there for the name of the person in charge. Jenny had told him that this was a special project, to not mention her at all and to not be pushy. If he followed her rules to the letter she said she'd arrange for him to go to Scotland for a few days at her expense. Since he'd been dying to go to Scotland he had cheerfully packed an overnight bag and driven across the Severn Bridge the very next morning. He now found himself standing a few feet from the door to a small building called "Mermaid Quay Tourist Information Office" wondering what this was all about.

He had all ready taken a couple pictures with his digital camera so all he needed to do was step through the door and ask for a few pamphlets and a trip to Scotland for free was all his.

A pretty black woman in her twenties looked up from her computer as he stepped through the door. She smiled a friendly smile and moved from the counter.

"Can I help you?"

"Oh, I'm here in town for a few days and wanted to see some sights."

She smiled again and directed him to a table full of catalogues and flyers. For the next few minutes she showed him tour guides and maps (complete with brightly colored pictures) and he was loaded up with information.

"Anything else?"

"Who's in charge here? They should give you a raise for being so helpful!"

"Thank you, I'm happy to help," she said. "Enjoy your stay in Cardiff!"

He was about to ask again when he recalled Jenny's instructions. He smiled at her and walked out the door.

As he was sitting on a bench that overlooked the bay a few yards off he leafed through one of the catalogues. If the woman looked out she would think he was merely trying to decide where to go first. Really though he was checking out the cute girls that were sitting near by.

"Oh, Jack, really!"

A woman in her thirties laughed as she walked alongside a man. The woman was plain, but eye-catching with a gap in her front teeth and shoulder length dark brown hair. The man next to her caught his eye. He was tall and wore a long blue coat that reminded him of something from his World War II classes in college. He knew that Jenny was a history buff and could confirm this fact for him so he took his cell phone from his jacket pocket and took a picture while making it look like he was sending a text. Satisfied with the quality of the image he snapped the phone shut and stood. He headed back to the hotel he was staying at and got to work.

Once he got his laptop setup and opened the web browser to his e-mail login. He connected his camera and phone to the computer with USB cords and sent Jenny an e-mail telling her what had happened and attached the files. Once he was finished he reminded her about her promise and added a few links to hotels he wanted to stay at while in Scotland.

The man in the long coat walked down the street just as he was finished sending the e-mail. He looked out the window, saw him and shook his head.

Some people were strange.

~_~_~

Two days later Jason was looking at the picture that Jenny's cousin had taken with his cell phone. The printout lay on his desk next to a photograph taken from the Torchwood employee database. He looked down at the man that still had Ianto's heart and wanted to rip the pictures into pieces.

Jack Harkness was indeed back in Cardiff. The picture was proof. So was Gwen Cooper. She could be seen next to Jack and the woman in the picture matched the picture in her Torchwood employee file (even after an employee died their files remained on the servers).

He needed to find out if Harkness and Cooper were behind the conspiracy. So far Susan had come up dry in her hack-job of the various Torchwood databases and it was damn irritating to say the least. Everything appeared to be legitimate but even Susan had told him that it seemed too perfect, too legit. There was something going on, there was no doubt about that. But what was it and what did Ianto have to do with it?

He heard a knock on the door and quickly put the pictures into a drawer. "It's open!" he called as he locked the desk and slipped the key ring into his pocket.

Speak of the Devil, Ianto walked into the room and closed the door firmly behind him.

"I have that information packet on the Weevils that Jenny asked me to write. Did you want to look at it?" He held up a rather thick bound book of collated paper (probably filled with pictures and charts) and looked at him with a hint of a smile on his lips.

"No, I'll get to it tomorrow." Jason leaned back and looked at his lover. "Wanna go out tonight?"

"Pardon?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could go have dinner and then go back to mine and watch a movie. If you want to, that is."

He knew he was pushing the boundaries but with the conspiracy and Harkness' return he found he did not care anymore. He was going to get Ianto to forget about Harkness if it killed them both. After all, there was a damn good chance that Harkness had used and abandoned Ianto. Ianto didn't need someone who would use him and toss him aside like garbage. Jason knew that he could give Ianto everything he needed if he would only let him.

Ianto raised an eyebrow and cocked his head a little to the left. Had they been naked Jason would have proceeded to place his hand between those slender thighs and reach in between the

rounded buttocks to find that sweet spot that made his lover moan his appreciation in that gibberish (most likely Welsh).

As they were not only fully clothed but also at work he took it as meaning that his suggestion had perplexed his lover.

"Dinner… Is this like a date?" _Oh, haven't been on a date since Jack. I've forgotten what it's like. No office involved either._

"Yeah, I guess it is." Jason smiled at him. "So, how about it?"

"What if the others find out?" Ianto glanced towards the tinted window. When he'd been with Jack he'd been less worried about propriety but now he needed it to safeguard his heart.

"Don't care. There's no rule about not dating coworkers. So long as we continue to keep to the boundaries while we're working it's fine."

Ianto smiled at him then. It was the same smile that he gave when they went slow and he was happily humming his pleasure at whatever it was Jason was doing to him. Jason loved that smile. It was meant only for him.

"All right then. Unless aliens try to invade how about we send everyone home at five and then head out ourselves?"

"Great. Until then, get your ass back to work."

"You just want to ogle it as I walk out the door."

"It's the most I get while stuck here, so move it."

~_~_~

Part 14: Compare and Contrast

The next morning Ianto led Jenny, Sam and Bobby to a local preschool. There had been a frantic phone call to the police concerning a wild animal and as soon as they had arrived at the school, they had called Torchwood.

Within minutes they had scanned the area and come up blank for Rift activity.

"Probably a Weevil," Ianto said as he glanced at the teachers and administrator who were watching from the playground. "I'm going to have a chat with the witnesses, you lot keep looking."

He watched as they walked away to continue the search before he headed for the group of teachers. He pulled out his PDA and found the file he wanted.

"Was this what you all saw?" he asked as he showed them the photograph of a Weevil.

"Yes!" one teacher exclaimed. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing to be concerned about. My team's very proficient in these matters. I'm sure we'll have this sorted very soon. Now then, let's go inside and have a chat."

Twenty minutes later Sam's voice came over the comms informing him that it had indeed been a Weevil and it was now in the back of the van, sedated and bundled up. Ianto made a pot of coffee and passed it out, his eyes observing the group as they drank from their mugs gratefully. One by one they began to nod off. He nodded to himself and walked into the room where all of the children had been gathered together as a precaution. Once he was assured that the situation was contained he sent the police on their way.

"What the hell happened?"

He walked back to the room where the teachers lay unconscious.

"I drugged them."

The others turned and stared at him in shock.

"You what?"

"Oh don't be alarmed. It's an amnesia pill; short term. I erased the last few hours from their memories as well as the children." Ianto buttoned his coat and flexed his fingers. "Since clean-up is complete, let's get the Weevil back to base."

"You…. You drugged them!" Jenny said. "And the children too!"

"Yes, I believe that's exactly what I said. Now, let's go."

"You bastard!" Bobby said. "What did they do to you?"

Ianto cocked his head and frowned. "No need to overreact. The pill is perfectly harmless. Torchwood III used it for years. They'll all wake up in a couple hours and not remember a thing."

"You had no right!" Jenny stated. She glowered at him in anger. "When we get back to base I'm telling Jason what you did."

Ianto calmly replied, "I only did what needed to be done."

"We'll let Jason be the judge of that."

~_~_~

"You did _what_?"

Now Ianto was annoyed. He had calmly explained what Retcon was and had told Jason about using it at the preschool. He had not anticipated his lover's reaction.

"I said that I --"

"I heard you the first time." Jason was pissed. "You had no right to do anything like that."

"So you would rather that I risked people finding out the truth? I'm sorry, but I thought that we were supposed to be a secret kept hidden from the world. How can we be that if people go around talking about Weevils in playgrounds?"

"I understand the need for secrecy, dammit," Jason snapped. "Like I said before, it's the way you go about it. We do not use amnesia pills on people, especially children!"

"Jack would not have hesitated to --"

"Do I look like I give a damn what Harkness would have done?" He hated it when Ianto compared Bluemont to Cardiff. He hated it even more that Ianto was comparing _him_ to Harkness.

"Jason, I'm doing my job as best I can."

"Oh really? No more Retcon."

"There are times it's necessary."

"No."

They glared at each other. Neither wanted to admit defeat.

"You really think it's okay to dump pills in people's drinks to make them forget? You're sick!" Miranda said in disgust.

Ianto was about to reply when he saw Shelly's face. The one person who seemed to want to get along with him had a look on her face that was part disgust, part anger.

Shelly agreed with the others.

He slowly swiveled his head to look at each member of the team in turn. They all were looking at him like he was a…

"You're a monster! Susan said. "You're worse than the Weevils!"

As the others nodded or stated their own agreement, Ianto heard his own voice from the night that Lisa had died.

"You're worse than anything locked down there…. You're the biggest monster of all"

Words spoken to Jack in anger and grief that were also well suited to himself. He _was_ a monster.

He turned his eyes back to Jason. Just last night they had gone to dinner and relaxed in front of the television. They had acted like a real couple, not just fuck buddies. He'd been so happy at the normality he had begged Jason to take him on the plush carpet the instance the movie was finished.

Now his lover looked at him in such a way that Ianto wanted to cry. Instead he simply nodded his head.

"Fine. Your way then." He turned and walked towards his office. Once inside he closed the door and leaned against it.

Monster…

~_~_~

The base was quiet the rest of the day. No one saw hide nor hair of Ianto and that was fine with all of them. He had locked himself in his office, not even coming out for lunch.

When six o'clock came Jason sent everyone home. He sat at his desk finishing up a report as the others gathered their belongings.

"So, my place tonight?"

He looked up to see Ianto in the doorway. The door was open; anyone could have heard the soft voice. Just another thing to piss him off.

"Why would I want to spend the night with you tonight?" Jason stood and walked to stand before him. "I don't know you as well as I thought. You went behind my back and drugged people. Thing is, I don't know if I'm more mad about that or the fact that you believed you were right."

Ianto frowned and rubbed at his neck.

"Jason, that's work related. We agreed to keep work and us separate, remember?"

"Which is why I'm wondering why you came in here when everyone's still in the base and ask me over to your place…"

They had both crossed the boundaries. Everyone was listening to the conversation with interest.

"Jason… look, just listen to me…"

"No. You listen to me. I'm not coming over to your place tonight. I don't know if I'll be coming to your place ever again."

Something flashed in Ianto's eyes. That something made Jason's own eyes soften a bit.

"I need to think about where this thing between you and me is going, Ianto. I have to think about my duty and how I can reconcile it with my relationship with you. If you can't give me the time I need, then it's safe to say that we're through."

Ianto looked away, his arms folded. The silence in the base was so thick it was scary.

After a few moments Ianto raised his eyes to his lover.

"Take your time then," Ianto said softly. He turned and walked away.

Jason closed the door and sighed deeply.

The others looked from the door to Ianto and wondered when the hell the two of them had gotten together and just how serious it was.

That night was the first night since Ianto had first slept with Jason that he had nightmares.

It was also the first night that both realized that they had fallen in love.

And it hurt.

~_~_~

Part 15: The Second Message

Morning didn't come soon enough. Jason led Sam, Miranda, Ianto, Susan and Dan to the location of some Rift activity. They were in a wooded area and Sam was cracking jokes about setting up camp (which made Ianto swallow convulsively and say that he hated camping) while they scanned the area.

Miranda and Dan were taking soil samples while Ianto looked for signs of aliens nearby. Jason was helping Susan with her scanning equipment and Sam was scouting the area for hikers and other annoyances.

Jason looked over at Ianto and sighed. He had spent the entire evening and night missing the young man. He knew that he should have sat down and talked to Ianto about the whole damned mess but he had never been very good at those kinds of things. No, he tended to get angry and shout when things didn't go his way.

But dammit, he missed him.

Ianto rubbed at his face tiredly. His bed had felt far too big for him last night. Between the nightmares and the tears he'd cried he had been unable to sleep. His chest constricted as he thought of having to go another night without Jason there to comfort him.

_I miss you, please come back_, he thought as he tried to not look at the older man.

Both were so wrapped up in their own sad thoughts that they could not concentrate on their task.

It was Miranda's scream that caught their attention.

She stumbled back and reached for her gun only to have it kicked from her hand. A man wearing some sort of military clothes stepped from between two trees. Ianto moved to get between the man and the others only to find himself pinned against a solid body with the business end of a gun pressed against his skull.

"I wouldn't even think it if I were you, Biggy," the man sneered as Jason raised his own gun. "One more motion from any of you, and Eye Candy here gets his brains blown."

"Oh God, tell me you're not from the 51st century or pals with John Hart…." Ianto muttered. Suddenly he was reminded of the time that he had been taken hostage while trying to save the alien whale.

"Oh, but that would be lying! So tell me, how does a piece of 21st century ass know John Hart?" The man tightened his grip on Ianto and sneered.

"I stole his boyfriend from him," Ianto said dryly. If he could just get his left arm free… damn, he'd kill for a stun gun right about now.

"Who, Harkness? Ha! I'd heard he'd run away to this primitive world. The last I heard from Hart was that poor Jackie Boy was nearly killed by his own brother and lost two of his friends. He's really gone downhill, hasn't he? Never should have left the Time Agency. Although…" He ran a rough, calloused hand down the length of Ianto's body, bringing it to rest just above his groin. "His taste in playthings has certainly not suffered." He bent his head to nip at Ianto's neck.

"Take your hands off him."

Everyone looked at Jason. He had his gun aimed straight at the man's head. The only thing keeping him from squeezing the trigger was the fact that Ianto was in the way.

"What did you say, Biggy?"

"I said…" Jason's teeth ground together with each syllable. "Take… your… filthy… hands… off… him…"

"Oh, why don't you just die?"

The bullet shot out of the Time Agent's gun but it moved in slow-motion for Ianto. He widened his eyes and watched in horror as the tiny metal ball sped towards his lover and embedded itself in his body. Jason staggered and fell, blood gushing out of the wound.

"_JASON_!"

Jason felt as if he were going to sleep. He was cold. Shit, he was dying. This wasn't supposed to happen. Last night he'd been miserable without Ianto. Tonight he'd planned on taking Ianto out to dinner again and hoped to convey his desire to have a real relationship that was not based on sex. He couldn't die, not yet.

Shit, it was getting dark.

_Ianto…_

~_~_~

"Wake up, open your eyes."

Jason did as he was told. All he could see was pitch-black darkness and a pretty Japanese woman. He was blind. Well, shit!

Wait, a woman?

He sat up slowly and looked around. Except for the woman he could only see the darkness.

"Where are we?"

"The darkness."

"Obviously. Now where are we?"

"This is where you go when you die."

"So I'm dead? Kinda figured that." He climbed to his feet and stretched. "So now what? I go to Hell, right? That what my ex and her family would say anyway."

She giggled behind her hand at him. "It's not like that. For starters, it's not time for you to come here yet."

"Tell that to the guy who shot me then."

_Sarcasm thy name is Jason Monroe._

"Tea Boy likes this guy _why_?"

Jason turned to stare at a skinny young man with brown hair and a smirk on his face. He was leaning against a wall of nothing with his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a white lab coat with a pair of glasses sticking out of the front pocket.

"Okay, what's going on here?" He was getting a little worried. Normally when you died you saw people you actually knew, at least according to all those near-death-experience people.

The woman smiled and stepped forward to touch his arm in a reassuring gesture. "I'm Toshiko Sato and this is Owen Harper."

"_Dr_. Owen Harper."

"Jason Monroe."

"We know," Toshiko said. "Now, you wanted to know what this place is. Well, for starters it's the place that Ianto has nightmares about all the time."

"He doesn't have nightmares," Jason protested. "I would know." If Ianto were having nightmares wouldn't he have woken Jason up either with tears or thrashing?

"Oh, but he does," she said gently. "You manage to help keep them at bay, which is why he hasn't woken you up screaming. They're still there, just buried deep inside where he can't quite see them."

"Okay, fine, whatever. So this place?" He waved his hands around to indicate the -- _nothingness_ that filled up everything.

Owen unfolded his arms and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "It's the place you go before you move on. We discovered its existence several years ago thanks to this glove --"

"The Risen Mitten," Toshiko interjected with a smile.

"Yeah, catchy name huh? Anyway," Owen continued. "We used the Risen Mitten to talk to the dead. Everyone we talked to said that when you die you come to the darkness and that there's nothing else. Morbid and _depressing_, by the way. I died once before the last time and was dead for a few hours. I was convinced that I was going to be trapped in the darkness forever and then Jack, bloody wanker, uses a different glove to bring me back only instead of it being temporary I became a walking, non-breathing corpse. I eventually died for good and so did Tosh here. Still not happy you didn't tell me you'd been shot, just so you know, Tosh." He shot her a look that said more than words could ever manage.

"I'm not going to keep apologizing, Owen so get over it." Tosh turned her sweet smile back to Jason. "But the darkness isn't all there is, not for everyone. For most people it's a place they come to just for a short while. The more regrets you have the longer you stay."

"Regrets?"

"Yeah, regrets. Like I regretted not being able to save Katie or Diane. I regretted being a jerk towards everyone. I regretted, mostly, shooting Jack. I regretted a lot of things. I regretted being too afraid to get close to Tosh the most." Owen took out his glasses and fiddled with them

absently. "Some regrets you get over fast. I couldn't save Katie, it was impossible. Diane wanted to leave, couldn't make her stay. Thankfully Jack came back to life. I would still be here, as a resident, if Tosh hadn't died shortly after me and told me that she understood. She forgave me and despite my stupidity still loves me. I followed her out of the darkness a short while later. It's been heaven ever since, pardon the pun."

"What does this have to do with me or Ian -- wait a damned minute! Sato and Harper. You were at Torchwood Cardiff!" It finally clicked inside his head. He had read the files on every Torchwood employee, both dead and alive. These two had died when bombs ripped Cardiff apart and there had been a huge cover-up.

"Yes, we were," Tosh said. "We worked there with Ianto."

"Was he here too? Before he was brought back…" This place was so bleak and depressing.

He could see now why Ianto insisted on keeping a nightlight on at night; if he'd been here then he was most likely afraid of the dark.

"Yeah, he was here. Like you it wasn't his time though," Owen said. "And he didn't even die, not really. Just before they walked into the room where the 456 was, Jack kissed him. Jack can't die, not really, not yet at least. When he kissed him he passed on some of his healing energy without knowing it. When the virus entered his lungs, Ianto's immune system kicked in triple time and froze his body in a state of suspension."

"He said it was something to do with his DNA? That some of the virus victims had the right DNA to be able to survive."

"That's what he was _told_. That's not the truth. But then, you all ready knew that there's more going on than just an assignment transfer, don't you?" Tosh smiled at him again.

Jason stared at the two of them. "If that's true, then why was he here at all if he wasn't dead?"

"Because he was literally one step away from death. He was pulled into the darkness as a means of protection. We tried to help him, to ease his fears," Tosh said. "But hearing our voices only made him panic. Jack comes to the darkness whenever he dies but even his voice wasn't enough to soothe Ianto. Perhaps if Jack knew that there was something beyond this--" she pointed to the nothing. "He could have found a way to talk to Ianto."

"So why not just show yourselves to them both like you are now?"

"We tried, but we couldn't get him to see us." Owen sighed. "Look, Jason, Ianto's in danger. Your team's in danger. We can't tell you who is behind this but _don't trust anyone with a higher rank than you_. Also, you might want to look into the Institute's _old_ database. Have your hacker hack into it. Yvonne _Hartman_ was arrogant enough to think no one would look at her _private_ stuff."

"That's it?" Jason said. "Not much help are you?"

Tosh giggled again. "We really can't say much, it's part of the deal we made to be able to come here to see Ianto and you." Her gaze softened. "Jack didn't abandon him. He truly believed that Ianto was dead. He ran away because he blamed himself for what happened. He only returned to earth because he felt that at least that way he could look after the people Ianto died to protect. He loved him, even though he could never say the words."

"Ianto's still in love with him too," Jason muttered. He felt a twinge in his chest.

"It's possible to love two people at the same time. He has before."

"Call me selfish, but I want him all to myself."

"Take care of him, Jason Monroe," Owen said. "Or the next time we meet, I'll deck you." He glanced behind him. "We have to go. Remember what we've told you. Jack and Gwen have nothing to do with any of this. The danger is real and it's _spreading_."

"Be careful, Jason," Tosh said. "And don't tell Ianto about us, not yet. Think about what we've said. And keep your eyes and ears open-- we just might meet each other again."

He frowned; where they getting lighter? Fading away? Wait a minute! He was getting warmer.

"--son."

He closed his eyes. Did Ianto love him? Who was after them all? Dammit, he should have asked them more questions.

"He's not… he _can't_ be…"

He knew that voice.

He opened his eyes.

"Ianto…"

~_~_~

Part 16: Dissension

Jason opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of the medical bay. His hand was being held in a tight grip and he heard voices. Oh, and he hurt like Hell.

"I'm sorry, but he's dead…"

"But he can't be! He _can't_! Save him!"

"Ianto, I've done all that I can. I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can--"

"There must be something!"

"Ianto…"

"Jason!"

They all gaped in shock as their leader opened his eyes with a groan. It was Ianto who recovered first.

He leaned over and kissed his lover's forehead. Then he pressed his mouth tenderly against Jason's. Before he could pull away, Jason reached up with his free hand and curled his fingers around Ianto's head to keep him in place. He nudged his tongue past the trembling lips and tried to soothe away Ianto's tears.

"Okay, that's enough. Not only are you supposed to be dead but I think you've both managed to give everyone simultaneous heart attacks," Jenny said. "Ianto, _move_."

Ianto stepped back but continued to bruise Jason's hand with his own. His blue eyes were tinted red and were swollen and puffy from continuous crying. To Jason, he'd never looked more beautiful.

"Doc, I'm fine," he said as he pushed her hand away. He slowly sat up and winced as he looked down at his body. The fact that he was naked from the waist up didn't bother him. The oozing wound on the other hand… At least it seemed to be healing on its own.

"Oh joy, bullet to the chest. Tell me you got it out?"

Jenny frowned and folded her arms. "Yes, but you should still be dead. Your heart stopped beating ten minutes ago and there's been no brain activity for over eight."

Ianto stepped close again and said in a shaky voice, "Please tell me you're not a Fixed Point in Time and Space? Because if you are then I am changing the locks on my door and joining the witness protection program…" He had to stop as more tears trickled down his face.

Jason frowned at the blood covering Ianto. He looked at Jenny and demanded, "Talk to me."

"Well, other than the fact that you died and now your 'fatal' wound is just a flesh wound, there's not much to say. Oh, and that blood on him is yours'. He's only bruised. According to the others, he beat the crap out of the guy with the gun. Too bad he got away."

Jason looked up and sighed. The others were standing in the doorway, all looking torn between crying and laughing.

"Okay, am I cleared for duty?"

"Uh, how about no?"

"Wrong answer," Jason said. "I'm fine, even you said so. I'm getting cleaned up. Team meeting in one hour in the boardroom. Susan, Bobby, I want you to run scans to see if there're any bugs in the base that _we_ haven't installed. That goes for all computer programs too. Make sure the place is secure." He stood with a groan and looked at his team. "I can't explain all of it but I'll explain what I can. One hour." Before anyone could say anything Jason pulled Ianto out the door with him.

Ianto followed Jason silently to the locker room. Once there he opened up his locker and pulled out a change of clothes. He moved slowly to remove his blood-covered suit. Once he had stripped he turned to enter the running shower stall alongside his lover.

Jason encircled his arms about Ianto's waist and kissed his neck. The pale skin was pelted with dark bruises and scrapes. When he found that creep he was so going to rip him apart with his bare hands. For now though, he would carefully wash his and his lover's bodies.

A choked sob drew him from his thoughts. He turned Ianto towards him. "Shh, it's okay baby. I'm here, I'm right here. Shh." He kissed Ianto's shoulder and nuzzled his neck. None of the rest of it mattered anymore. It had been a stupid argument, he never should have gotten so angry. The whole thing had been Torchwood business, not something that concerned their relationship.

"You were dead… I lost you." Ianto pressed his tear-streaked face against Jason's neck and sobbed. "I just found you. I can't lose you, I can't…"

"You won't." He held Ianto tighter.

"But I did!" he cried. "I lost you yesterday and I couldn't sleep without the darkness coming for me! And then you died! You died right in front of me! You're not like Jack; you won't always come back when you die. You won't…" He dissolved into tears and clutched at Jason.

"Oh baby, I'm here now. I'm here." He gently pressed Ianto against the shower wall and framed his face with his hands. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"You were in the dark. You were there, all alone. In the darkness."

Tosh and Owen faces flashed through Jason's mind. _Not yet_, they said, _he's not _ready.

He wanted to tell Ianto that he'd not been alone, that two of Ianto's friends had been there with him. But he couldn't, not yet. For now he would just hold him and try to make it better.

~_~_~

It had been only three hours since they had gone into the woods yet it felt like a lifetime ago. It wasn't even lunchtime yet and he felt exhausted.

Jason sat at the head of the conference table with Ianto at his left, holding tightly to Jason's hand once more. The rest of the team (many of whom had to be called in) was gathered around the oval table waiting for Jason to explain himself.

For his part, Jason felt like shit. He had been shot numerous times during his various careers but this was the first time that he had died. It had not been pleasant even though it had lasted for only a few minutes. Meeting Owen and Tosh had shaken him badly. He knew that he really should not believe what they had told him; it could have been a trick, to throw him off balance. There was something about the two of them though that made him think that he could trust them. It didn't mean that he didn't feel like shit, though.

"Okay, Jason, what the hell's goin' on?" Sam demanded. He, Jenny and Miranda had kept their mouths shut about the conversation over lunch the other day. Each of them was eager to see if their leader had learned anything new.

"First off, I received an e-mail a few days ago from someone who is no longer an employee of Torchwood yet claims to be."

"Who?" Dan asked.

"That's not important."

"Why not?"

Oh, because I'm sleeping with her former coworker and I'm absolutely terrified that if he finds out that she's back at Torchwood and that his former lover is too then he'll run back to Britain and I'll lose him forever.

"Because the identity of the person is not the problem. The problem is that there is a conspiracy against us, perhaps all of the North American bases, maybe the world. We need to find out why there are secrets being kept and who's behind it all."

"Jason," Miranda said. 'I don't think we can keep it a secret anymore." She looked at Ianto pointedly.

Almost immediately Ianto spoke up. "I am not conspiring against anyone. I'm not a spy, either."

Jason couldn't tell who believed him and who did not. It was not encouraging.

"No one here is pointing fingers at anyone else."

"No, but that also means that everyone here is under suspicion," Miranda stated firmly.

Everyone but Jason and Ianto seconded that notion.

Ianto tightened his grip on Jason's hand. He had cried himself crazy when Jason had died. How could they believe that he was their enemy?

As if she read his mind, Miranda folded her arms and glared at him.

"You stalked Captain Harkness at Cardiff for a job just so you could hide a partially converted Cyberman in the basement. You hid it for over six months and would have continued to do so had it not gotten loose. You nearly destroyed the world and yet your punishment was a suspension. So tell me, were you fucking Harkness all along or just after that little mess?"

Ianto raised his voice in anger. "_She_ was called Lisa. Leave Lisa and Jack out of this. Yes, I made a mistake; I was too blinded by my feelings for Lisa to see that she was killed the day of Canary Wharf. Jack understood that and chose, despite everything, to give me a chance to redeem myself. Yes, I slept with him. We were lovers, so what? Whether I slept with him before or after Lisa has no bearing on any of this."

"Only that it set a precedent for the current situation."

"How so," Ianto demanded.

"Let's see… You somehow convince Harkness to keep you on after you let a deadly thing loose. Two members of your team -- Harper and Sato -- die less than two years later. That guy in the woods said it was because of Harkness' own brother, who was placed into storage instead of killed. Then you supposedly die when the 456 try to take human children." Miranda narrowed her eyes. "Suspicious, wouldn't you agree?"

"It is _awfully_ suspicious," Sam said. "I mean, it sounded okay when you told us how you were in a state of limbo and no one wanted you back in Cardiff, but I'm with Miranda on this. You faked your death so that you could infiltrate the other Torchwoods and you, Harkness and Cooper are planning to take over."

"Why would we do that? Why would I leave the place I considered my home to come to this backward place?" He was angry; he couldn't help but lash out. "And Gwen's living a happy life with her husband and child, by the way. So leave her out of it."

"Really? So then why did she e-mail Jason? And why do we have photographic proof, thanks to Jenny's cousin, that she and Harkness are back at Torchwood III?" Miranda smirked at him and waited for him to snap again.

Hell was slowly breaking loose.

Ianto slowly angled his head towards his lover.

"Gwen was the former employee who e-mailed you?"

Jason swallowed and nodded. "We have pictures of both Cooper and -- and Harkness at Torchwood III." He tried to ignore the way that his lover was looking at him. Betrayal filled the eyes that had smoldered with desire and passion only hours ago.

Ianto could not believe what he had heard. He stared at Jason in pain. His blue eyes were filled with hurt that the man he'd given his body too so freely hadn't trusted him enough to tell him this bit of information. It was also hard for him to understand why Gwen had not contacted him herself. Did she think he was still dead too? And what about his sister? He'd been told that she didn't want anything to do with him now, that she as ashamed and afraid of him. And Jack… If he did know that Ianto was alive then why had he not come for him?

_"I love you."_

_"Don't."_

Oh God, he understood now what that single little word meant. It was as he'd feared. Jack had never loved him. He had merely been company, a part-time shag. He had meant nothing to his beloved Captain. He had been a plaything, a warm body. Jack had used Ianto's feelings for him to keep him where he wanted him. He had used him. Just as Ianto had used him to try to save Lisa. Oh God…

Memories swarmed inside his head as he tried to not think of the pain of being unwanted and deceived by the one he had loved the most.

_Just us... in this room... for as long as it takes. Terrifying. Really? Are you asking me out on a date? Interested? Well, as long as it's not in an office. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself... Are you going back to him? Lots of things you can do with a stopwatch. Oh, yeah! I can think of a few. He cheats, he always cheats. I blame it on magic mushrooms. What you do in your own time is none of our business. And for the record: measuring tapes never lie. Being here, I've seen things I never dreamt I'd see. Loved people I never would have known if I'd just stayed where I was. And I wouldn't change that for the world. Bordering on the avant-garde. Do I show off? I came back for you. He's a reminder of my past, I want him gone. Can't imagine the time when this isn't everything. Pain so constant, like my stomach's full of rats. Feels like this is all I am now. There isn't an inch of me that doesn't hurt._

His stomach was churning and his chest was on fire. Just like he had during the first few months after Lisa, he felt the most horrible, deep-rooted pain. He hurt everywhere. This was worse than Lisa. This was so much worse.

"Can't imagine the time when this isn't everything. Pain so constant, like my stomach's full of rats. Feels like this is all I am now. There isn't an inch of me that doesn't hurt."

Jason stared at his lover as he spoke in a flat voice void of all emotion; his once piercing blue eyes empty of life. Those same eyes that had looked at him in gratification last night and worry just over an hour ago had become hollow. They stared out into nothing as memories both good and bad cascaded inside his head, fighting for dominance.

"Ianto?" Shelly asked in a small, worried voice. She didn't understand the nonsense phrases coming form her friend's mouth. She also didn't understand how everyone could be so quick to accuse him of being a traitor when it was so obvious that he was in pain. Just because she was upset with him because of the pills didn't mean she thought he was a traitor.

"Are… are you okay?" Jenny asked. She was a doctor after all, even if she didn't trust him.

Words that he had used once before, when his life had crumbled around him, came back to him now. He pushed them from his mouth without thinking because they had the exact same meaning now that they'd had almost seven years ago. Only now instead of just saying them, he shouted them out with anger, frustration and betrayal coloring his voice.

"Like you'd care! When's the last time you asked me _anything_ about my life?"

And it was true. Only Shelly ever asked him about his life before. He reorganized the base, he set up new rules and they just ignored him. He'd been at Torchwood Bluemont for almost a month and they still refused to acknowledge his authority or presence unless they had to. He was an anomaly that they wished did not exist. He was invisible to them.

_You're just a tea boy. I'm much more than that. Jack needs me. In your dreams, Ianto. In your sad wet dreams when you're his part-time shag, maybe. You're just a tea boy. _

Just a tea boy. That's all that he was. That's all he had ever been. He was nothing important. At Torchwood One he had been invisible to everyone except for Lisa. It had taken him letting loose a Cyberman at Torchwood III for them to really notice him. He had been _nothing_. He was _still_ nothing.

"I'm just a tea boy," he whispered. Inside he could feel the rats gnawing away at him with each passing second. He raised his empty eyes again towards Jason. He couldn't pull his hand away. He should have moved but he couldn't. He merely looked at the man who had not only claimed his body but who had also captured his heart. Ianto knew it now; just as he had fallen in love with Captain Jack Harkness seven years ago, he had gone and fallen for Jason Monroe.

"Ianto…" Jason tried to pull the younger man to him. The words coming from his lover's mouth as well as the way he was acting was scaring the hell out of him. But Ianto resisted him.

"I loved you." Ianto's voice was soft. "I told myself not to but I couldn't even manage to do that right. I let myself love you and just like Jack, you broke my heart. I was nothing to him and I'm nothing to you. That's all I've ever been or shall be."

He pulled away from Jason now and stood. He turned and walked out the door. Once he had entered the corridor he ran. He ran as fast as his legs would take him; he couldn't see where he was going and he didn't care.

He had a stomach full of rats, after all.

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED

~_~_~

NOTES!!!

Torchwood America: Timeline

The story is moving quickly. I've decided to include a timeline for everyone to make it easier to follow the action. It will appear with each installment, updated to include all new parts/days.

Parts 1 - 9 take place in **ten** days (boy, Ianto and Jason moved fast!)

Parts 10 and 11 start **eight** days later (which means that while Ianto is comparing Jack and Jason, Jason is reading the e-mail from Gwen).

Part 12 takes place **three** days after Jason gets Gwen's email (day 21).

Part 13 and 14 take place at approximately the same time (the evening of day 21 in WV, USA and the following morning in Cardiff… time zones confuse me so don't expect me to calculate time differences). It also carries on **two** days later (day 23)

Part 15 and 16 take place the very next day, making it a total of **25 **days since Jason and Ianto first laid eyes (and designs) on each other. They've been shagging for about 2 weeks by this point.

~_~_~

Wow, neither guy wasted any time, huh? It took Jack **2 months** after Lisa to get anywhere with Ianto! If you take the time to calculate the number of days and come up with a different total, please let me know! Math is not something I am good at so I won't mind!

Okay, now for a few footnotes!!

First off, sorry for making poor Ianto go through that, but trust me, my muses tell me it's going to be fine. Also, please let me know if you were confused by the first part. In a nutshell, Ianto thinks Jason's the one in control of their relationship while Jason think Ianto is. They're also, especially Ianto, busy trying to figure out what's going on inside their hearts. So if that whole section does not make sense, please let me know.

I originally intended for it to be John Hart and not the nameless Time Agent to show up in the woods but John wouldn't have made Jason as angry as the other guy did so I went in a different direction. I do hope that John Hart gets to join the gang but at least you all got to see Owen and Tosh! And they _will_ be back in later installments!!!

Oh, don't you _love_ how Owen stresses the word-clues when he's talking to Jason? Did Jack and them really think they'd seen the last of Torchwood One (Institute)? _Muwahahaha_… Ahem. I'm all right now, I think. Too much caffeine + lack of sleep = crazy chick!!

I think I know who the villain is because of the direction my thoughts keep turning and no, I doubt any of you are thinking of who I'm thinking of. Hehe. I can guess who some of you probably think it is but I'm having as much fun as you trying to put it all together.

Jack will be showing up soon, so get ready for some romantic DRAMA. Yeah! Just please don't ask me who Ianto ends up with because I honestly have no clue.

But then… Just out of curiosity, who do YOU all think Ianto should be with and why?


	3. Parts 17 thru 19 plus Time Line

This story is a continuous work-in-progress. Because I am only one step (maybe two) ahead of you (my readers) I see and discover little mistakes and inconsistencies several days AFTER posting each new part. As a result there have been some changes made to the first installments (Parts 1 - 9). Most of the changes are minor and do not matter if you have all ready read the story. These additions mostly just add more depth to the characters and the story as a whole. Please let me know if you notice any major or minor mistakes as you read the story of Torchwood America. Thanks in advance!!!!

A shorter installment than expected, but life (aka work) got in the way of my creativity. Grr. More next week!

~_~_~

TORCHWOOD AMERICA

~_~_~

Part 17: Letting Go

Jason drove around town searching for Ianto. It had been four hours since his lover had fled the base in the midst of everyone's accusations and he was beginning to panic.

If truth be told, he had begun to panic the moment the team meeting had taken that ugly turn. He slammed a palm down on the steering wheel in frustration. He should have known better than to sit everyone down and explain what was going on with Ianto in the room. Next time he would have Jenny sedate the younger man before he gathered the rest together.

_"I don't see why you're taking his side! It's so obvious what's going on here!"_

_"Oh really? Tell me Miranda," Jason snapped as he yanked his coat on. Keys. Keys, where were his keys? "What possible reason could the Institute have for wanting to overtake us? It's not as if we're in possession of any technology or running experiments that could change the fate of the world here. So tell me what a man like Harkness could possibly want with Bluemont, WV."_

There had been a lot of general arguing but no one had been able to give him an answer. No, Bluemont was the North American Torchwood that had the least going on. In fact, in nearly two months there had only been a handful of Rift spikes that had dumped anything besides alien technology. Most of the time they had been chasing down Weevils and doing the paperwork that Ianto had pushed on them.

Jason forced his mind back to the problem at hand. He would deal with the others later, after he'd found Ianto.

Ianto. He had run out without his jacket, keys or cell phone. Jason had gone to the small apartment first in a vain hope that Ianto was sitting against the door waiting for him. Instead he had thumped his head against the door and headed back down to his car.

Great, it was starting to rain. Just fucking great.

~_~_~

Ianto sat on the damp ground beneath a tree. His thoughts were as bleak and gray as the sky. All he wanted to do was forget. He wanted to forget everything. Jack, Jason. Cardiff, Bluemont. Everything and more. His life was not his to live. He was a slave to his memories.

_"So, still sorry you hired me?"_

_Jack grinned up at him as he leaned back in his chair, coffee cup in hand. "Not when you make coffee like this. Starbucks doesn't stand a chance, not with you. That, and you look good in that suit."_

_"Sir!"_

_"I can't believe that it's been six months since you joined," Tosh said with a smile as he joined her on the couch. "How are things, Ianto?"_

_"Fine. Just fine."_

_"I mean, it's been less than a year since Canary Wharf and all. It must be difficult for you."_

_"No, I'm fine. Thanks though. Coffee?"_

_"So, how are you, Ianto? And don't lie to me."_

_"Well, sir, it's been roughly five days since I killed Lisa. How do you think I am?"_

_"You didn't kill her. Torchwood did. And the Cybermen. Not you."_

_"If I had come to you sooner then it wouldn't have ended like that. I should have asked you to help me end her misery instead of stalking you for a job."_

_"Hey, I don't regret hiring you. Seriously, so don't give me that 'Don't be an idiot' look. Wanna know what I do regret?"_

_"What, sir?"_

_"That we weren't there for you like we should have been. That Torchwood One destroyed itself. That you had to suffer."_

_"Thank you, sir."_

_"Okay," Gwen said with false cheerfulness in her voice. "Just because Jack's done a runner doesn't mean that we can slack off. We still have work to do!"_

_"You've got to be kidding!"_

_"She's right, Owen. We have to continue."_

_"Ianto, you're the last person I expected to hear say that!"_

_"Why?"_

_"Well, Jack ran off!"_

_"So? We still have work to do."_

_"I just want to know where we stand, Jack."_

_"So you're asking me to define our relationship?"_

_"No, just… I just have to know if Owen is right. That I'm a part-time shag."_

_"You're not," Jack assured him. "But, Ianto, that's the most I can give you." He frowned. "You know what's weird?"_

_"What?"_

_"Earlier, when Michael was here, you said that you didn't own me. You told me to go be with him. It was like you understood."_

_Ianto looked away. "I thought I did, but I don't. Guess it's a part of being a 21st century human." He turned back to his Jamesbondathon. "Forget about it, Jack. I don't own you. I have no claim on you whatsoever. Don't even know why I brought it up."_

_Jack moved behind him, placing his hands on Ianto's shoulders. He pressed a kiss just below the left ear._

_"Even if Michael had been able to stay, I wouldn't have gone back to him. I wouldn't do that. Not to you."_

Old memories brought with them a bittersweet feeling that made him feel ill. He raised his face to the falling rain. If only the rain could wash away the pain. He was forever to be plagued by what he once had. It was gone, all of it. The day that the 456 came was the day that Ianto Jones had ceased to be. All that was left were his memories.

_"You are without a doubt one of the single most infuriating individuals that I have ever met!" Ianto snapped as he slammed down the folder._

_Jason leaned back and smirked. "And you say that like it's a bad thing!" He stood and came to stand close to Ianto. They were at work so there was little he could do. He tilted his head and whispered so that only Ianto could hear. "Tonight, once everyone has gone home, I'm going to come through your door and ravish every inch of you for the entire night."_

_"Bastard…" How could he refuse?_

_"Ah, I know what you like…"_

He shook his head to clear it. He knew he should have never gotten involved with Jason, especially as his heart still largely belonged to Jack. It had been a mistake.

But then again, his nightmares had lessened since the first time Jason had come over. Now when Ianto dreamed he did not awaken in fear of what was to come. Except for last night.

Last night had been difficult indeed. He pulled his knees to his chest and sighed. Okay, maybe he should have discussed the use of Retcon with Jason before administering it to people. He had instead been arrogant in his 'superior knowledge' and made a bad situation worse.

_"I understand the need for secrecy, dammit," Jason snapped. "Like I said before, it's the way you go about it. We do not use amnesia pills on people, especially children!"_

_"Jack would not have hesitated to --"_

_"Do I look like I give a damn what Harkness would have done?"_

No, no he hadn't. And he had not enjoyed being compared to Jack. Especially since Ianto had once been Jack's lover. He could understand that himself. Every time that Jack had mentioned a former flame it had eaten away at his heart. The only consolation he had was that perhaps it was Jack's way of remembering the people who had been important to him.

_"Do you remember everyone you've met? Everyone you've loved?"_

_"I'm just a blip in time for you."_

_"You will live so long, see so many things. I only hope that something about us here, on earth will be memorable enough for you to remember us."_

_"That's why I write in my journal every day. So that when too much time has passed and the memories are faded, I can look back and recall everything that made Ianto Jones tick."_

_"Don't forget me."_

_"In a thousand years' time, you won't remember me…"_

He hoped wherever life took him that Jack Harkness would be able to remember something about him, be it what he looked like or that he made fantastic coffee. As for himself, he had to let go. He could still remember his past. It was a part of him. But he knew that he had to let it go. Jack didn't need him. Gwen and Rhys were happy without him. His family was fine without him.

He remembered how he had gotten through when Lisa had died. Tosh had not only given him a coffee but had also come by to see him during his suspension. Jack had been there every day. Owen had watched him a little more closely. Gwen had smiled sweetly and made an effort to get to know him better.

He didn't have the support he'd had back then. Now he only had himself. He had begun to consider Shelly a friend but their friendship was still so new. He couldn't just pick up the phone and call her with his tales of woe. And Jason… God, what a mess that was! He couldn't deny that last night had been one of the hardest, loneliest nights of his life.

"I love him," he murmured. He did, he knew it. He was not one for casual relationships, he and Gwen had discussed that once. No, he loved Jason Monroe. Jack was his past, Jason was his now. That is, if Jason still wanted him.

_Don't think like that_. No, he had to stay positive. Jason no doubt had his reasons for not telling him about the e-mail from Gwen. He needed to find Jason and talk to him.

Ianto climbed awkwardly to his feet. He staggered and leaned against the tree trunk for support. He felt like he was going to be sick.

Headlights from a car blinded him. He raised a hand to his eyes and tried to stave off the nausea. He didn't hear the car door slam or the hurried footsteps.

"Ianto."

He opened his eyes.

"Jason."

He felt his lover's strong arms envelope him in their warmth. He rested his head against a broad shoulder and turned his face towards his lover's neck. He felt safe.

"Are you okay?" Jason's voice was soft and worried.

"Mm hmm." Ianto lifted his head and looked him straight in the eyes. He had waited too long before. He had waited until he was dying to tell Jack how he felt. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

"I love you."

Neither knew who had said it first. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that they meant it.

~_~_~

Part 18: Frailty

Jenny yawned tiredly as she reached for her cell phone. It was after ten and she and her husband had just been heading to bed when her phone started ringing. The caller id showed Monroe, Jason. She sighed.

It had been a long day. After Ianto had made his dramatic exit Jason had let them all have it. She and Jason were a year apart in age yet he always managed to make her feel like a kid in comparison. They had all yelled and gotten angry until Jason had given them The Look. It was the look he used when dealing with his family, most often his ex-wife. It was a look that was just the right amount of intimidation and disappointment. Yes, their boss was disappointed in them.

_"How would you feel if everyone you cared about thought you were dead, you were tossed into a place where you know no one and then found out that your old friends might actually have known you were alive? Try putting yourselves in his position. He didn't want to come here; he was made to come here. No one has really tried to make him feel welcome, not even me, and you all just expect him to accept that!"_

Yeah, long day. After Jason had stormed off they had discussed the whole mess and had concluded that Jason was right. They had been unnecessarily cruel to Ianto.

She flipped open her phone and hit the answer key.

"Jason."

"Jenny, could you come to my place? Ianto's sick."

"Oh, you found him?" She was all ready getting into Doctor Mode.

"Yeah. He seemed fine when I brought him home with me but now his temperature's at 101 degrees. He's burning up and he says he's going to throw up."

"I'm on the way." She somehow managed to get her coat on without dropping the phone. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Just hurry."

The line went dead.

~_~_~

"Pneumonia."

"So not just a cold? Shit."

Jason carefully retucked the blankets around Ianto's still form. At least he was asleep. It was a change from the crying and shaking of earlier.

"Nope, sorry." Jenny pulled off her gloves and dropped them into the trashcan near the bed. "His immune system is more vulnerable to illness than ours'. Probably a result of being frozen and buried. Not to mention the experiments he said they performed on him."

"Wait, what?"

"He gave me a report that he'd written which detailed experiments done on him after he was awoken. Apparently the fact that he was able to survive the alien virus was of great interest to the Institute and UNIT so they wanted to see what else his body was capable of."

"And you were going to tell me this when?"

"Never. Not unless I had good cause."

"Why?"

"Ianto made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone. He wanted me to be prepared in case something happened to him."

Jason gave her a dirty look and stalked out of the bedroom. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where he began to open up cabinets.

"What are you doing?"

"Making soup. He'll need to get his strength built up."

"How long have you and he been sleeping together?"

"Every night for two weeks, not counting last night."

"That was… fast." Jenny frowned. "Not to mention probably your longest fling ev-"

"It's not a fling."

She looked up at him. He was busy rinsing vegetables at the sink. She knew he was an excellent cook; no doubt Ianto would rave about the soup for days.

It was the intense look on his face that truly caught her attention.

She had seen that look before. When she and her husband had started dating her parents had been against it. He was not good enough for her. He came from a family of 'poor people' while she was upper-class. He'd had to scrape by and get loans for college while she had paid for medical school with her trust fund.

The look on Jason's face was the same look she had worn on her own when she told her parents that she was 'going to marry that man and have his children and there's nothing you can do about it!' Even when they had experienced hard times (like when he had been laid off) she had never regretted falling in love with him.

That was how she knew that Jason Monroe had fallen in love with Ianto Jones.

"Well then," she said as she reached for a knife to chop the onion. "Don't mess this up."

They looked at each other and smiled.

"I can't promise that I won't fuck up now and then," Jason said. "But I'm sure as hell gonna try."

~_~_~

When Ianto awoke it was just after dawn. He carefully lifted his head and looked around. He was quite surprised to see that Jason had joined him on the bed and was in fact playing the part of a pillow once again.

Ianto carefully climbed out of the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. After taking care of business he leaned against the mirror and sighed. He felt like shit. The room was slowly moving in circles and he felt so cold.

"Back to bed, you brat."

He let Jason carry him back to bed. He let out a whine as Jason turned away. He was cold and he wanted Jason to make him warm again.

"I'll be right back."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

True to his word, Jason returned in just a few minutes. He helped Ianto sit up and held a mug to his lips. Ianto carefully sipped at the broth and wondered if this was a dream. If so, he never wanted to wake up.

~_~_~

CARDIFF

Gwen frowned as she logged out of her e-mail. Monroe still had not responded to her query. Perhaps Jack was correct and there was no reason to involve themselves with the international Torchwoods.

Her eyes fell onto her desk. There were several framed pictures there. A picture of her and Rhys on their wedding day, a picture of them in the hospital right after she'd given birth to the baby in her arms, a picture of her son as he was now. So many memories contained in a few frames.

Two more pictures caught her eye. Owen, Ianto, Tosh, Jack and herself standing in front of the water tower in the Hub. Ianto and Gwen tugging at Jack's arm in a vain attempt to get the great coat off of him. They were all smiling; in both pictures they were happy.

Owen, Tosh, Ianto… So many lives lost because of arrogance and ignorance. If the various Torchwoods had been closer, had pooled their resources and worked together perhaps her friends would still be alive today.

Sometimes she felt as if Owen and Tosh were still there. Glimpses in the mirror of people long dead. Whispers in her ear of voices she longed to hear again. The Hub had been rebuilt. The layout was similar but now there were different people manning the workstations. Now a Mr. Coffee coffee maker sat where Ianto's contraption had once been.

Ianto. While she thought she could feel the others she had never felt Ianto. After his funeral, she had gone with Jack to clear out his flat. It had been trashed. Jack had broken down and sobbed in her arms.

_"I love him. I love him and I was too afraid to tell him. Why him? Why?"_

She had simply held him and rocked him as she too cried. It had been too soon after Gray's rampage for them to deal with the loss of someone dear. The fact that Jack Harkness had loved Ianto so much only made it worse.

Ianto's diary had been missing as well as some other items of a personal nature. Jack had gone crazy at the idea of Ianto's deepest, most intimate thoughts being dissected by the bastards who were responsible for his death. Even now he had not forgiven them.

He had left earth six months later. He returned and told her that he would not leave again. He said that he couldn't abandon Ianto or Steven like that. At least being here he could visit their resting places and fight to prevent more deaths. He said that being on the same planet that Ianto had lived and died on made him feel closer to his lover.

_"I took him for granted so many times. How could I leave him now? Especially as he's alone in the darkness."_

_"No, Jack, he's not. Owen, Tosh and Lisa are there with him. We have to believe that."_

_"I want to. I want to believe that so much. I loved him. I still do. I always will do."_

_"He knew that. Even though you couldn't say the words. He knew it. After all, you left so many times and yet you always came back."_

_"I came back for him. Every time it was for him. Always for him."_

Gwen's frown deepened. Ianto should still be alive. He should have never gone with Jack. But it wasn't Jack's fault; it was the fault of the government.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She turned and looked at her friend.

"Jack. I think it's time we talk to the others."

"Others?"

"The other Torchwoods."

~_~_~

Part 19: Glimpses and Whispers

CARDIFF

"I thought I told you to keep this information to ourselves?"

Jack leaned back in his chair and looked at Gwen with a calm expression on his face. They were sitting in his office discussing her e-mail to a Jason Monroe, head of Torchwood Bluemont in West Virginia, U.S.A.

"You did," Gwen said, not sounding or looking the slightest bit contrite. "But since we've found out about the other Torchwoods and the one at Bluemont is also situated on a Rift, I thought it might be a good idea to get their input. You did say that the Rifts appear to be merging together." She loved throwing his own words back into his face.

"And you thought that this Monroe guy might actually help us?" Jack shook his head. "He's probably one of the most arrogant men ever in the twenty-first century. Not to mention that he doesn't think very highly of the British."

"You've met him?"

"No, just read his file. Jason Monroe was recruited in 2002 by the Institute. The heads of the Institute, a Mr. Franklin and Yvonne Hartman, set up a special program in London at the Torchwood Tower and had Monroe and the others who were to run a Torchwood base trained in London for over two years. Their various staff were trained in their native countries during this time. Of course, there have been losses and additions. Torchwood is a dangerous career, people die or have to be institutionalized. Retconned even. There are several bases all over the world, but they rarely communicate outside of their own continent. North America has four bases that communicate regularly. Bluemont, Monroe's base, is possibly the dullest Torchwood base in existence. Sure, they have a Rift in Time and Space but they don't get the action that we do. Mostly they get alien tech that they get to study a bit before sending it on to the other bases. They rarely get alien visitors and most of the ones that they do get are simply lost and grateful for assistance. Although I do know that they have a place set up for human Rift victims, like I have with Flat Holm."

Gwen chewed at her lip and frowned. "But that doesn't mean that he wouldn't be willing to help us. If the two Rifts are merging then we have to prepare ourselves for the backlash."

"And yet you contacted him a few days ago and he has yet to reply…."

~_~_~

BLUEMONT

Ianto snuggled closer to Jason in an attempt to leech some of his body heat. He tried to ignore his body telling him to go pee. He was comfortable, after all. However after a few minutes he gave up and climbed out of bed.

"Where're you going?" Jason muttered sleepily.

"Toilet."

"Need help?" Jason couldn't help but be concerned. Pneumonia wasn't something you got over in a day or so. Yes, Ianto's fever was all ready going down but he was still very weak.

"No, I'm fine."

"Leave the door open."

"Why?"

"Just in case you need me."

Ianto smiled at him and went into the en suite bathroom. After relieving himself he washed his hands at the sink. He yawned and rubbed at his face.

_Ianto…_

He jerked his head up and looked around.

_Ianto…_

Again! He heard her voice again! Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked back at the mirror. Directly behind him stood the first person he had ever claimed to love, who he had been so close to destroying everything for.

Lisa.

_Ianto… Be careful, love. _

"What?"

_There are those who will try to take it all away from you._

He turned to look at her directly but she was gone. There was no one behind him.

_Ianto! Ianto!_

A different voice, just as gentle. Just as dear. Tosh.

_Be careful Ianto, please!_

_You're in danger, Tea Boy! All of you are!_

Owen too? Oh God, he missed Owen so much. His snarkiness, his sarcasm. All of it.

Tears began to trickle down his face. He had tried so hard to reach them in the darkness, to be with them even in Hell. Their voices -- Lisa, Owen and Tosh's-- had been like a siren's call that was just out of reach.

Hearing them here and seeing Lisa made him long once again for the nightmares. At least then he could be with them.

"Ianto?"

Jason was startled as his lover pushed his way into his arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around the slighter man.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he tried to settle the trembling body.

"I miss them. I miss all of them. Lisa, Owen and Tosh. Gwen and J-jack. Even Suzie. I miss them so much."

Jason swallowed around the lump that was steadily forming in his throat. Maybe he had to let Ianto go. Maybe Ianto couldn't be happy with him. Maybe he wasn't good enough for Ianto.

Cool hands framed his face and he looked down into Ianto's tearful blue eyes.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't." Ianto drew him down for a kiss. "I miss them, I always will. But I have to move on."

"But you still love him." He hated to admit that. He wanted Ianto to forget about Harkness and give himself completely to him.

"Yes. Just as I still love Lisa."

"That's different," Jason said in a flat tone. "She's dead. He's alive."

"Yes, he is," Ianto agreed. "However there's the little matter of my being alive for over three years and him not coming back to me. I love him but he didn't love me. I have to accept that and move on."

"With me?"

"With you." Ianto smiled and pressed himself closer. "I can think of worse people to move on with."

"Come on, back to bed. You're still sick."

"Pillock."

"Once I figure out what that means, and you're all better, you're in serious trouble."

Jason got Ianto back under the covers and he went back to the bathroom. He was about to turn off the light when he noticed the mirror. It was fogged up, like someone had taken a shower instead of simply using the toilet. He reached up and wiped at the condensation. A pair of brown eyes was looking back at him.

"Shit!"

He staggered back against the wall in shock. The eyes crinkled with mirth. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. He quickly wiped the rest of the mirror to reveal the face.

Toshiko Sato smiled back at him from over his reflection's shoulder.

"What do you want?" Jason hissed, mindful of his sleeping lover only a few feet away.

_Thank you for being there for him. But you must be cautious. Danger is near._

"What?"

_Have you gone through Hartman's personal files yet?_

"No. We've been busy." And he was afraid of what he might find.

Read them as soon as possible, Jason. There is information contained in them about the conspiracy your friends are so worried about. There is also information on you.

"Me? Well, Hartman recruited me personally."

_Yes, she did. You're being here at Bluemont is not coincidental._

She glanced over her shoulder.

_Until next time, Jason Monroe._

"Wait!"

But she was all ready gone.

~_~_~

CARDIFF

"I've never heard of Mr. Franklin," Gwen said as she thumbed absently through the files on Jack's desk.

"He preferred to stay on the sidelines and boss everyone around. He's as cutthroat and dangerous as Yvonne Hartman. I never met him and there are no pictures in the database of him either. All I know is that he and Hartman worked together for years. I thought he had died at Canary Wharf but he had actually secluded himself only days before the battle." Jack frowned. "It's almost as if he knew the battle was coming. The bastard hid himself and re-emerged a few months later. He personally dealt with all but one of the survivors and continues to run Torchwood from his hiding place. Wherever that is."

"Who was the one he left alone?"

She knew, she knew deep inside but she wanted to hear him say it. So rarely would Jack speak the name of the person who had managed to capture his heart so completely.

Jack fixed her with a steely gaze. "Ianto." There, he said it.

JonesIantoJones. Coffeesir? Chocolatepreferablydark. Evenshe'scallingusacouplenow. I''tI?

With just one little word so many memories ran together before he could stop them. God, how he missed that man! If he could go back in time to the day that he had last held Ianto he would have responded so differently when Ianto said that he loved him.

_Don't_.

What the hell kind of response was that to a declaration of love? Especially as he had never in his wildest dreams expected Ianto to actually feel that strongly about him. Lisa Hallet had been the love of Ianto's life, not Jack Harkness. But no, instead of responding in kind he had let his grief at the knowledge that he was losing the one person on earth that he would have given up everything for override his brain.

Gwen said that Ianto had known how he felt. It didn't make not being able to voice his feelings any easier.

At least he had been able to promise to remember him.

_Ah, but he's not exactly forgettable is he?_

Owen's voice.

Jack had never told Gwen how a year after Ianto's death he had begun to hear Owen and Tosh in his head. Sometimes he thought he saw them in the mirror while he was shaving.

He never heard or saw Ianto though.

He wished that he would, it would make it easier to deal with the emptiness in his heart.

That was something else he never told anyone. To the rest of the world he appeared to have mourned and moved on. But it wasn't real. His happiness was a façade. It was a mask he wore in order to be able to carry on and protect the world that Ianto had loved so much. Besides, Ianto was buried here. As long as Ianto was still here Jack would remain. He owed it to the person who had loved him despite his faults.

"Jack? About Monroe…"

He tore himself away from his depressing thoughts. Maybe one day he'd find an end to his immortality and he would be with Ianto again. Until then, he had a job to do.

"Try contacting him again. If he doesn't reply in two days, I'll contact him myself."

~_~_~

BLUEMONT

Jason looked at the e-mail.

TO: "J. Monroe, Bluemont"

FROM: "G. Cooper-Williams, Cardiff"

SUBJECT: Information

He moved the mouse over the screen and clicked the delete button. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he deleted the e-mail and emptied the trash. He wanted nothing to do with Cardiff but he felt that what he wanted and what was going to happen were two different things. He was determined to delay the inevitable as much as possible.

Ianto groaned and shimmied closer to him under the covers. Jason smiled and closed his laptop. They both groaned when the phone rang shrill in the silence. Jason reached over his lover and picked up the handset.

"Monroe."

"Jason, it's me. We're coming in town for a few days. We'll be in by Wednesday."

"Kate?"

"Of course. Unless you have another ex-wife with four kids who come and visit you."

He rubbed at his temple and stifled another groan.

"What is it?" Ianto asked as he snuggled up closer.

"Who's that?" Kate demanded.

Ianto shot up and stared at his lover. Oh no. No nonono. Not again! He glared at Jason.

"Kate, there's something I should tell you…."

His lover and his ex-wife. Perfect. Just perfect. As if he didn't have enough to deal with.

Shit.

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED

~_~_~

NOTES!!!

No, don't worry! Just because Ianto admitted his feelings for Jason (and Jason did too!) that doesn't mean that I have decided who Ianto ends up with. After all, there is still a LOT more to come. Jack is going to come by soon (as I say this I am typing up his dramatic entrance!) and John Hart has decided that, YES, he IS going to star in it! Yeah! In future installments there will be clues as to WHO the villain is. They will be small, but hopefully someone will pick up on it.

References: Some of the memories Ianto has in this installment came from books and episodes. "Cyberwoman", "End of Days" are the episodes. Trace Memory is the book where Michael is introduced. "The Deadline" (audio) and (SHUDDERS) "Children of Earth" were also referenced.

Poor Jack and Ianto! Ianto thinks Jack is avoiding him and Jack is missing Ianto!

I'm glad of how Owen, Tosh and Lisa were all in this, however short it was. The whole "Tosh in the mirror" bit was a direct result of my having watched too many horror movies in my life. Haha…

Torchwood America: Timeline

Parts 1 - 9 take place in **ten** days (boy, Ianto and Jason moved fast!)

Parts 10 and 11 start **eight** days later (which means that while Ianto is comparing Jack and Jason, Jason is reading the e-mail from Gwen).

Part 12 takes place **three** days after Jason gets Gwen's email (day 21).

Part 13 and 14 take place at approximately the same time (the evening of day 21 in WV, USA and the following morning in Cardiff… time zones confuse me so don't expect me to calculate time differences).

Part 15 and 16 take place the very next day.

Part 17 and 18 are day **25**. Part 18 also starts day **26**.

Part 19 is day **27**.

~_~_~

Until next time!


	4. Parts 20 thru 22 plus Time Line

This story is a continuous work-in-progress. Because I am only one step (maybe two) ahead of you (my readers) I see and discover little mistakes and inconsistencies several days AFTER posting each new part. Please let me know if you notice any major or minor mistakes as you read the story of Torchwood America. Thanks in advance!!!!

OOH! See if you can guess why I chose the title that I did for Part 20!!!!

~_~_~

TORCHWOOD AMERICA

~_~_~

Part 20: Mobiles, Landlines, Tin Cans With Bits of String

Two days had passed since Kate had called Jason. This meant that two days had passed since Jason had informed his ex-wife of his relationship with Ianto. It also meant that by tomorrow his ex and the kids would be in town.

Oh joy.

It had been a busy couple of days for Torchwood Bluemont. In addition to Weevils there had also been lots of Rift activity, which meant lots of running around, new technology to play with and more reports to be written, discussed and filed away.

There had also been an intense debate over whether or not Retcon should be used. Ianto had insisted on going to work while Jason and Jenny insisted he stay at home and rest. He was still sick after all. A compromise had been reached. Ianto had written a detailed report on Retcon, listing the pros and cons and the various incidents he could remember using it before. Jason had made everyone read the report and they had spent over three hours that morning discussing it.

Jason had in the end decided that each case where there was reason to use the pill would be reviewed by the senior staff. The pill did have a lot of advantages and would be beneficial where their cover was concerned. Ianto had been pleased when he'd called and told him the news. He was sounding better too. Jason couldn't help but wonder if the experimentation had resulted in an advanced immune system. Was it possible for Ianto to be deathly ill one day and be better the next? He would have Jenny take a look at him and maybe perform some (consensual) tests on him to find out.

He groaned when his cell phone rang. It was the ring tone that signaled impending doom.

"Yes, Kate?"

"Just wanted to let you know that we'll be there by lunchtime tomorrow."

"Great. Can't wait."

"Is _he_ going to be there?"

"Ianto? Yes, I told you that I want him to meet everyone."

"I don't see why. It's just a fling. They always are."

"Not this time, Kate. Ianto is different from the others."

"How so?"

Was she really going to ask him that?

"He just is. With him it's not about sex."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that you and he are not sleeping together? I know you better than that, Jason!"

"I won't lie, we are sleeping together. But it's more than that. With him I feel things I never felt before. I can't help but want to be with him. He's infuriating, arrogant, gorgeous, intelligent, demanding… He's the other side of the coin."

"Jason, you just described yourself."

"The thing is, he's more… real. He's classy. Even when he's acting all cocky and stupid he's doing it in a way that makes me stop thinking."

"You never had a problem there. I still think this is just a fling. An infatuation at best."

"You just can't stand to see me happy, can you?"

"Jason, you couldn't be happy with _me_. What makes you think you can with him?"

"In case you've forgotten," Jason said in annoyance. "I paid for marriage counseling for nearly three years. I gave up anything you asked -- smoking, drinking, and my friends -- to make you happy. I bent over backwards to keep our marriage together and it was you who chose to end it. And don't make me remind you of why you gave up in the first place."

"I made a mistake. Are you going to hold that over my head forever?"

"It's difficult enough to deal with the fact that the person you pledged your life to slept with your best friend. The fact that this same person never felt even a little regret and expected me to 'just get over it' only made it worse. But I did try to get over it. I tried to put it behind me because of us and our children. You claimed that my shortcomings were the reason you strayed in the first place."

"They were--"

"But yet I never criticized you for your shortcomings, did I? In fact, I never once said anything about your parenting or housekeeping skills, even though I was always the one lecturing, punishing and cleaning while working fulltime."

"Your job was your life," Kate snapped. "You cared more about your career than your family!"

"I turned down lots of offers and promotions in order to go to soccer games and take the kids to the movies and so you could go on weekend getaways with your friends."

"But it was a dangerous job! What if you'd been killed? I'd have been widowed with four children!"

"We met because of my job. You knew before our first date that there was a chance I would get killed on the job. And if I had left you a widow you would have had one hell of a support system. My family alone wouldn't have let you raise the kids without their assistance. Hell, my parents are the ones paying for Richard and Christine's college."

"Still, it's your fault that I turned to Tyler. You weren't there enough. There were many nights I spent alone."

"I asked you before I joined InterPol if you wanted me to find a safer, less demanding job. Before I accepted my promotion I asked you again if you wanted me to quit my job. You said no. You always said no. You were more concerned about a steady income."

"Tyler understood."

"Which is why he left you for someone younger after I found out about your affair. He married that girl too, didn't he?"

He couldn't resist rubbing it in her face. It was cold and it was cruel, but he refused to let her play the martyr. He had not been a perfect husband or father, but he'd be damned if she tried to make out like the collapse of their marriage was entirely his fault. Especially now as he was involved with Ianto.

"Look," he said with a sigh. " I really don't want to fight with you. I'm still at work. I need to finish my reports so I can get back home."

"To Ianto?" The bitterness was practically palatable.

"Yes. To Ianto. I'll see you all tomorrow." He ended the call before she could respond. He placed the cell phone on his desk and sighed.

They had married too young. If they had been a little older and wiser maybe they could have made it work. But it was too late for that now. He was with Ianto. There was nothing in the world that could make him give that up.

The landline on his desk rang. He put Kate out of his mind and reached for the receiver.

"Monroe."

"Jason Monroe?"

"Yes, this is he."

"Is this the same Jason Monroe who used to work for Interpol before being recruited by Yvonne Hartman of the Torchwood Institute?"

"Yes… Who is this?"

The line went dead. The dial tone sounded in his ear.

Slowly he put the receiver back in the cradle and frowned. He touched his comm unit.

"Susan, I need you to do a trace on the last number to call my office phone."

~_~_~

SOMEWHERE ELSE

Mr. Franklin of the Torchwood Institute smiled at the young woman sitting across from him.

"This Jason Monroe is an interesting individual indeed," he said calmly as he replaced the receiver.

"Yes," she replied. "I've studied his files numerous times. Out of all of the non-British Torchwood leaders he's the one we most have to watch."

"He's intelligent, cunning, physically strong. And now he's suspicious." He frowned at her. "He wasn't supposed to find out that the Cardiff base is up and running. No one outside of Britain was supposed to know."

"It's because of Ianto Jones," she said. "Our partners at UNIT sent him to Bluemont because they feared Captain Harkness finding out. He came close many times."

"Hmm. And now Ianto Jones is sleeping with that America Neanderthal. Not part of the plan."

"No, but at least it means that Monroe won't be too likely to initiate contact with Harkness. He feels threatened by Jones' memories of Harkness." She frowned. "Why didn't you wipe those memories from his mind? Isn't it risky to have him remember Harkness and Torchwood Cardiff?"

"Yes, it is. However, memory is a powerful thing. Even if the actual images are erased there is the little matter of the feelings that go with them. Ianto Jones loved Jack Harkness, he still does. To remove the images of that love would be futile with the feelings still there. And I need those feelings to remain."

"But why? I thought this was all about destroying Harkness."

"You were wrong." He fixed her with an angry glare. "I have no intention of destroying him."

"But-- But you provided the Daleks with the means to move the earth and you helped the Achenbrite group obtain technology that could have destroyed Torchwood III. It was also you who contacted the 456 and made it possible for them to return to earth five years ago! Ianto Jones died because of the 456 --"

"I also helped the Cybermen to cross from their dimension into ours. I helped the Daleks by bringing the void ship to Torchwood One to study. I designed and set up the Battle of Canary Wharf."

She stared at him in shock. "But-- why?"

"Ianto Jones would not have left London for Cardiff any other way. I saw to it personally that Lisa Hallet was left alive and that Jones was safe. I was the one who tipped him off about Harkness in Cardiff. I was the one who fed him information that would enable him to persuade Harkness to hire him."

"Why?" She felt like a broken record. But she had to know.

"Because of the future. Ianto Jones is a pathetic child but it's he that Jack Harkness wants. I saw the future and what I saw I did not like. Jack Harkness should not have to suffer because his lover is dead."

"But _you_ helped kill him…"

"An oversight, which will be corrected soon." He leaned back and looked up at the computer monitor on the wall. Jack Harkness was walking alongside Gwen Cooper and her husband Rhys Williams. A soft smile graced Mr. Franklin's features as he watched the Captain interact with the others.

"Soon," he murmured. "There will be nothing to keep us from ruling this world in this time."

Soon, they would be together again. And then they would be happy.

~_~_~

Part 21: The Ex and the Lover

Wednesday came too soon, as far as Ianto was concerned. He was feeling much better, even Jenny was astounded at how healthy he was so soon. He felt quite sick to his stomach though at the thought of the visitors that were on the way.

Jason had insisted that Ianto stay at the townhouse last night so that he could meet the family. He had also promised Ianto that while Kate and the kids would be sleeping at the house, Jason and Ianto would be sleeping at Ianto's place. At least he wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing him and Jason naked.

It still didn't calm his nerves.

Jack had wanted to meet Ianto's family ("I promise to be fluent by the time you introduce me to your family.") but Ianto had constantly told him no. It hadn't been out of fear or shame of Jack but of himself. He had lied to Jack about what his father had done, he had also told lots of little lies about his childhood and youth to the others. He had been embarrassed that his father was just an ordinary man with an ordinary job. He had also been embarrassed that his mother had died giving birth to him, which had forced his father to be 'mother' as well. He had lived in a low-income neighborhood where no one really made something of themselves. Children grew up to raise their own underprivileged children. University was something that was desired but unlikely for so many. His own sister had married right out of school and had lived from paycheck to pay check ever since.

Ianto had never wanted to let the others know about his shame.

He could look back now and see how stupid he had been. Yes, he had very little in material wealth but there had always been plenty to eat and his friends had always enjoyed coming by the house. His father had set a firm budget for Rhianonn's wedding and it had turned out beautifully. There had always been plenty of presents under the tree at Christmas and he'd had a birthday party every year before his father died.

Ianto Jones had actually made up the shame in his own mind. He truly believed that if he had been honest with Jack and taken him to meet his sister their relationship could have been more. But instead he had been a coward.

And now he was going to meet the children and ex-wife of the man he was steadily falling in love with.

"You all right?" Jason's arms wound about him.

"Mm." He leaned his head back against a broad shoulder. "Jason, do you think we're moving too fast? We've only known each other a month."

Jason kissed his neck. To be honest, he had been thinking about that the last couple of days. But he had also come to a conclusion.

"Yes, we moved fast. But I have no regrets, except for hurting you like I did."

"It's just -- I was involved with Jack for over a year and he and I had moved fast too."

"Ahh! But I'm not Jack Harkness." He turned Ianto in his arms. "I'm Jason Monroe."

Ianto smiled at him. "Want to know something?"

"Sure."

"When we first met, I felt as if I had met you once before, a long time ago."

"Really? Huh, I felt that way too."

"You did?"

"Yep." Jason leaned against the counter and cradled Ianto to him. "Part of me was dying to get you naked and the other part was thinking that you seemed a little familiar. And annoying."

"Maybe we knew each other in a past life," Ianto teased. He was about to continue when he heard a car door slam followed by voices.

"Oh God…."

"Steady, Ianto. Kate will do whatever it takes to make you miserable. Don't let her, she can smell fear."

"You make her sound like a dog."

"And you made that far too easy, lover."

The front door opened and in bounced a sixteen-year-old girl.

"Hi Dad!"

Ianto took a deep breath and turned to face the oncoming storm.

~_~_~

Kate was breathtaking.

God how he hated her.

Ianto tried his best to be pleasant but he kept picturing Jason and his ex-wife together. It was not a pretty picture.

They were all in the living room having a chat. Jason and Ianto were on the loveseat while Kate and Christine, the second oldest, sat on the couch with Richard, the oldest. Katelyn and Rob were on the floor looking through magazines and fiddling with their ipods.

"So," Kate said as she crossed her shapely legs for probably the hundredth time. "Exactly how long have you two been together?" She narrowed her eyes at Ianto as she spoke.

"Oh, a while," Jason said as he pulled Ianto closer to him. He knew Kate. He knew that she was going to try to drive a wedge between him and Ianto.

For the last couple of years she had been dropping a lot of unsubtle hints that they should get back together. She knew that as beautiful as she was, most of the men she involved herself with wanted younger wives. She knew that age was a fleeting thing and that she had relied on her looks for far too long. She was getting older and she was also running out of options. Once Katelyn was eighteen there would be no more child support and his alimony payments would also soon come to an end. Her job as a sales associate at an upscale clothing store would not keep her in the luxurious lifestyle she was accustomed to.

She had inherited a tidy sum of money from her parents and her grandparents but instead of investing or saving any of it, she had blown all of her money a few years back. She now relied on Jason's checks to keep her in her large house, fancy car and nice clothes. She had never learned to manage her money. The only good thing about it was that none of the children had inherited their mother's lack of financial sense. Although he worried that she would try to take advantage of them and live off of them.

Jason almost smiled as he felt Ianto press himself tighter against his lover. Ooh, yes, Ianto was jealous. Hm, he wondered if jealous sex was like make-up sex. If so, then he had a feeling he was not going to get much sleep while Kate was in town. He could live with that.

~_~_~

"So he seems nice," Christine said as she helped her father clear the dishes from the dinner table.

"You're not fishing are you? 'Cause I'm not biting."

She giggled and carried a stack of plates into the kitchen. Jason followed with the rest and a shake of his head.

"How old is he?"

That was a good question.

Ianto had 'died' in June of 2009 at the age of twenty-five. He was 'dead' for a year before UNIT dug him up. Did that year count? If so, then Ianto was almost thirty-one. If not, then he was almost thirty.

He really wasn't sure which age Ianto would prefer to go by. There was also the fact that he didn't look any older now than he had five years ago. Had he not aged since his death? Maybe the virus had stopped his cells from aging. Or perhaps the experiments done to him had. Or maybe he just looked younger than he should.

"Dad, how old?"

Jason was saved from having to answer by the melodious sound of his lover's voice.

"I'm twenty-six next in August."

Christine smiled at Ianto as he entered the kitchen.

"Oooh, a cradle-robber! You're only a few years older than Rich is."

"So I hear. Need any help?" Ianto leaned against the counter.

"Why don't you rest," Jason suggested. He could tell that Kate was starting to drive him crazy all ready. "It's only been a few days, you're not all better yet."

"Are you sick," Christine asked. "There's the dreaded flu going around all over. Not to mention a bunch of kids are coming down with strep."

"It's just a cold," Ianto reassured her. "I've never dealt with being sick easily and your father here is a worrier. A few days' rest and I'm good as new."

"Except you won't rest."

"Nag."

"Git."

"Been learning proper English have we?"

They stopped as Christine giggled again.

"You two sound like a married couple! So cute!"

"Anyway," Jason hastened to change the subject as Ianto turned red. "How's Chad doing? Still spoiling you rotten I hope?"

"He tries, but I don't need it. Now, back to you. How serious are you?"

"Rather blunt, aren't you?" Ianto asked mildly.

"I try. And before you ask, I know about Dad's job, so don't hold back with me. I'm hoping to join up myself when I'm done with college."

"That's still up for debate," Jason said firmly.

"Anyway! How serious are you two?"

Ianto looked at Jason. Jason looked from his daughter to his lover.

"I was in love once, but I lost him," Ianto said quietly. "I sort of stopped believing in love. But then I met your father. He's helping me see that it can happen again."

Christine smiled at them both. "Then I'm happy for you. Dad's never bothered to introduce anyone to us so I know that he's crazy in love with you."

"Chris!"

"Well, it's true. Since you and Mom got divorced you've shied away from relationships and said you would never get involved with anyone again. But you have. And you've told us about it. And we've met Ianto. How do you spell that anyway?"

"I-a-n-t-o," he spelled out.

"No 'Y'? I love foreign words!"

"Think of it as the Welsh form of 'John', if it helps," Ianto said.

"Cool. Well, I'll leave you two to it. I'll go make sure Mom and the others haven't trashed the place." She waved at them as she went out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"She's nice. I like her."

"Thanks. I don't know where she gets her personality from, to be honest."

"So… she knows about Torchwood?"

~_~_~

Part 22: Phone Call

Jason was like a teddy bear, Ianto decided as he snuggled closer to his lover. A big, warm, muscled teddy bear.

They were lying in Ianto's bed the morning after Kate and the kids have arrived for a visit. Jason had felt so bad for the way that Kate had tormented Ianto that once he'd gotten him home he'd shown his devotion and affection for him. All night long.

Now they were taking their time getting out of bed. Neither of them had to go in until noon so they were determined to make the most of it.

Too bad for the stupid phone.

"Jason, your mobile's ringing."

"Damn, stupid, cotton-picking phone."

"And you say that I talk funny."

"Shut up." Jason leaned over the bed and searched for his phone.

"Want coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Ianto climbed out of bed and walked, naked, to the kitchen. Jason watched him for a moment, appreciating the view, and then finally found his phone.

'One missed call.' And it was an unknown number. No voicemail either. Probably a wrong number.

He shrugged and got up. He went into the bathroom for a quick shower, which turned into a long one when Ianto joined him. Ianto had to brew another pot of coffee as the first was ruined but neither of them complained. After a quick breakfast of coffee and cereal they lounged in front of the television and watched the news and reruns of westerns until it was time to get dressed for work.

"I love it when you wear that purple shirt."

Ianto looked up from tying his tie. "Really?"

"Yeah, it makes your eyes look more purple and it just looks good on you."

"Hmm, I always thought red was my color since Jack liked it so much."

Jason clenched his hands and forced a smile onto his face. He would always have to deal with Ianto's feeling for Harkness.

"Well, I'm not Jack, remember? You look good in red too, but I like you better in purple."

Ianto thought about that for a moment. "Then can I borrow your purple tee-shirt tonight?"

"What for?"

"To sleep in. What else?"

Oh, that little smirk on his face was too sexy, Jason scowled. Then he pictured Ianto in bed wearing only the purple tee shirt. It was just long enough to just about cover Ianto's ass. Almost.

"Sure you can wear it. But you won't get much sleep."

"Good." Ianto flashed him a smile and went back to getting dressed.

They arrived at work at noon and went to their separate offices. Jason settled himself behind his desk and attacked the pile of paperwork that had accumulated that morning. He was so busy that he didn't even notice his phone ringing until Sam poked his head in and asked him if he was going to get it or let it ring out.

With a scowl he picked up the phone calling out, "Shut the door!" at Sam. "Hello, Jason Monroe," he said into the phone.

"Jason Monroe. You're in charge of Torchwood Bluemont, correct?"

"Okay, who the hell is this? If this is another prank call--"

"This is Captain Jack Harkness of Torchwood Cardiff."

Jason's voice died in his throat. Harkness. Ianto's Harkness. Shit. Shitshitshit.

"Hello? Monroe, are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here." What could he possibly want? Ianto, was he after Ianto?

"We've contacted you twice about the Rift expanding and you never responded. I decided to contact you myself to see if we can work together on this."

Jason swallowed. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we can help you. We've never noticed any signs of our Rift expanding so--"

"Ours' is heading for a merger with yours'," Jack said. "If that happens, we don't know what to expect. The Rifts may end destroying the earth. Have you received the packet that Gwen sent you?"

"Yes."

"Then open it and look through everything. I'll call you in a couple of days to discuss it further. We really can't postpone this. Our job is to protect the earth so we need to--"

"Jason, sorry to interupt but I just made a pot of coffee."

Jason schooled his features as he looked at his lover standing in the doorway. He quickly covered the mouthpiece and nodded.

"I'll be out as soon as I'm done with this call."

Ianto smiled and nodded as he left, closing the door behind him.

Jason took a deep breath and brought the phone back to his ear.

"Captain? I have to go. Mountains of paperwork and coffee await me."

"Just look through the info. I'll call you soon," Jack said.

Jason hung up the phone and leaned forward, his head in his hands.

~_~_~

CARDIFF

"Then open it and look through everything. I'll call you in a couple of days to discuss it further. We really can't postpone this. Our job is to protect the earth so we need to--" Jack was startled at the interruption.

"Jason, sorry to interupt but I just made a pot of coffee."

That voice. It couldn't be. It had to be the crap connection.

"I'll be out as soon as I'm done with this call."

Monroe tried to block out the words, but Jack could hear them anyway.

"Captain? I have to go. Mountains of paperwork and coffee await me."

"Just look through the info. I'll call you soon," Jack said.

Jack looked at the phone in his hands, the dial tone buzzing softly.

_"Jason, sorry to interrupt but I just made a pot of coffee."_

That voice. Oh God that voice. But it couldn't be. He was dead. He had been dead for five years. But how many times had he heard that voice say those same words to him?

_Jack!_

He looked up at the sound of Tosh's voice.

_Haven't you ever wondered why you hear us but not him?_

"Gwen!" he shouted as he dropped the phone.

"What is it, Jack?" Gwen asked as he ran out of his office.

"We need to get to Bluemont now."

"What? Why?"

"Don't ask questions, just go home and pack. Lois, two tickets to Bluemont, West Virginia for me and Gwen."

They both looked at him like he was crazy but hurried to do as he asked.

Jack closed his eyes and tried to think but all he could hear was that voice. That soft Welsh accent caressing his ears and wrapping itself inside his head.

~_~_~

_"Jason, sorry to interrupt but I just made a pot of coffee."_

_"Like a butler, I could be a butler!"_

_"Haven't you ever loved anyone, Jack?"_

_"That's ten minutes and counting."_

_"I blame it on magic mushrooms."_

_"He cheats. He always cheats."_

_"I'm just a blip in time for you."_

~_~_~

_Oh no, Ianto, you're not. You've never been. _

Captain Jack Harkness clenched his fists tightly. If Ianto Jones was alive and at Torchwood Bluemont, then he was going to find him and bring him home.

_Hang on, Ianto. I'm coming._

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED

~_~_~

Torchwood America Timeline:

Part 1 has no real time frame as it's an introduction.

Part 2 is day **0**, as it is the day before Ianto arrives, and day **1**.

Part 3 and 4 are also day **1**.

Part 5 and 6 are day **2**, leading into day **3**.

Part 7 is day **10**.

Part 8 and 9 also are day **10** (which means that those 3 parts move fast) and then lead into day **11** (the morning after).

Parts 10 and 11 start **eight** days later (which means that while Ianto is comparing Jack and Jason, Jason is reading the e-mail from Gwen). Day **18**.

Part 12 takes place **three** days after Jason gets Gwen's e-mail (day **21**).

Part 13 and 14 take place at approximately the same time (the evening of day **21** in WV, USA and the following morning in Cardiff… time zones confuse me so don't expect me to calculate time differences). It also carries on **two** days later (day **23**)

Part 15 and 16 take place on day **24**.

Part 17 and 18 are day **25**. Part 18 also starts day **26**.

Part 19 is day **27**.

Part 20 takes place on day **29**.

Part 21 takes place on day **30**. (Jason and Ianto have been together for **20** days now. Wow. All ready meeting the family too!)

Part 22 takes place the morning after, day **31**.


	5. Parts 23 thru 24 plus Time Line

I'm in the process of rewriting TW Amer. Basically, I've found a beta and together we will clean up and polish the story. I will still be updating regularly as the plot is finally making itself known to me. I know WHO the villain is and WHY all of this is happening. I also know WHY Monroe and Jason got so close so fast. Yeah!!! Plus, as I was reading through the first half of the overall story, I noticed inconsistencies. For example: early on Jason recalls how his wife did NOT decieve him in any way. In the last part I posted he reminds her of her infidelity during their marriage. OOPS. I want her to be mean. But I also hope that I have shown Jason's imperfections too. No character is perfect or without fault. Definately, if you have noticed inconsistencies like that, don't be afraid to point it out! I'll love you forever!!!!

Okay, this first part is longer than most but that's because Ianto and Jason need to get some things off their chests. I've been working on a timeline of events from when Ianto first joins TW until now for my story. It's long and detailed so I'm not sure about posting it. There are also some spoilers for my story, not a lot but I don't want to ruin it for you all. I'm still sorting out lots of stuff but Jason's story is clearer to me and so is his relationship with Ianto. Maybe after a couple more chapters are up I'll post the timeline. I want Jason's story to be a surprise!!!

Part 23: Versus

"Captain? I have to go. Mountains of paperwork and coffee await me."

"Just look through the info. I'll call you soon," Jack said.

Jason hung up the phone and leaned forward, his head in his hands.

_Harkness. Jack Harkness. Fuck._

He didn't know what to do. He loved Ianto. He _needed_ Ianto. It was insane and crazy and he was out of his mind -- he'd only known the other man for a month and yet he couldn't imagine his life without the Welshman.

_It's as if I've known him for far longer._

It was true. The first time he had kissed Ianto inside the cave his hands had moved instinctively. He had known how to touch Ianto to bring him pleasure. It was the same later that evening. Their first time had been amazing but it had also had none of the awkwardness that usually came with first times. The long, lean body had felt so familiar to him that he hadn't had to ask if Ianto had enjoyed it. The morning after had also been so familiar. It didn't make sense. None of it did.

And now Captain Jack Harkness was back and causing problems for an all ready complicated situation.

~_~_~

Ianto sat in the boardroom with two cups of coffee and several reports laid out before him. He had placed Jason's cup on a warmer and was content to work quietly while he waited for his lover. He had dealt with waiting like this before with Jack. There had been numerous times he'd had to reheat a meal or cancel reservations because of a work-related phone call that went on too long. Patience was a virtue that he had been blessed with and he was eternally grateful for it. And he was relatively certain that Jason would be grateful for a cup of hot coffee when he was finished.

Yesterday evening had been difficult for Ianto. Kate was furious that her ex-husband had moved on and it was quite clear that she was on a mission to rekindle their marriage. He frowned a little and wondered exactly why the marriage had fallen apart. His frown deepened as he recalled the way that Richard, Jason's oldest, had looked at him. The younger man had given him a look of such loathing that Ianto had almost run from the room. At least the other three seemed to like him. Especially Christine.

Now she was a surprise. In many ways she reminded him of Tosh and Gwen. She was smart and knew her way around a computer that would take a computer geek ages to figure out. She was also very determined. He had been impressed by the story of how she had learned about Torchwood.

_"After the divorce, Dad moved to London for work. He was gone two whole years and all we got were the occasional phone calls and e-mails, mostly at holidays and birthdays. He said he couldn't talk to us about his job. I was just about eleven years old when he came back and moved to West Virginia. I was also dying to know what he was doing. But he wouldn't tell me."_

_"I would've if I could have, Chris." Jason had looked pained at the memory._

_"I know. Anyway, a few years ago, my senior year of high school, we came here for a visit. I snuck out of the house and followed him on my bike as he went to work. I figured out how to get in and hid in a supply closet for an hour before he found out."_

_"Scared the shit out of me. I grounded her for it too." Now Jason grinned at his daughter._

_"Yeah, then I got the tour. It was supposed to be a lesson, to make me see that he had his reasons for not talking about work. But I ended up teaching him a few things." Christine smirked at her father and grinned at Ianto._

_"She used her brains to fix a few computer glitches and updated our software, not to mention she gave Sam as good as she got."_

_"I wish I'd been here to see it!" Ianto smiled at his lover and daughter._

_"It was great! Then I told Dad that I wanted to work here too. Lots of fighting, obviously."_

_"I can imagine. Aliens can get nasty. Perhaps sometime I'll tell you about some of the ones I've met."_

_"Cool!"_

_"You said something earlier about working here after college?"_

_"If I get good grades, which I am, and can prove myself capable, which I will, Dad says he'll give me a chance. I can't wait until I get to use a gun!"_

_"Not likely, Chris," Jason said sternly. "If, and I do mean IF, I allow you to work here you'll mostly be working inside the base. The computers can always use your expertise. And even as smart as you are you're still very young. You need to learn a lot more about life before I give you a gun."_

_"I know. And I will."_

Yes, she reminded him strongly of Tosh and Gwen. Tosh had always taken so much pride in the silliest of things. He remembered her glee at having figured out his personal login that time he'd been turned invisible. She had teased him for days while he pretended to be mad, saying that the next time they had a device that turned people invisible he would test it on her computers. He smiled softly at the memory only to chuckle as the first memory he had of Gwen popped into his head.

_"Hi, sorry I'm late. Somebody order pizza?"_

Oh the look on her face as the office door had closed and locked itself only to be followed by a false wall opening had been priceless! He had somehow managed to hold in his laughter until the secret passageway was securely sealed again. It had been obvious that she had expected something out of a horror movie in every slow, cautious step.

"You look happy."

Jason's voice startled him out of his recollections. He looked up and smiled at his lover.

"I suppose that I am happy."

Jason pulled out a chair and sat down next to his lover. "Are you, though? I mean, Harkness is back at Cardiff and you're here."

"With you."

"Yeah, with me." Jason frowned and rubbed at his neck. Shit, dating three weeks and he was all ready picking up his lover's nervous habits. He lowered his hand. "You could be with him."

Ianto fixed him with a look. They needed to talk.

"Jason, I know your family is in town but do you think we could leave them to their own devices tonight? There's something I want to discuss with you."

"What?"

"Not now," Ianto said firmly. "Boundaries, remember?"

Jason nodded and reached for his coffee. "Okay. I'll call Chris later and have her run interference."

Ianto couldn't help but smile. "Careful, one day she may run Torchwood."

"Don't remind me. She runs circles around _me_ as it is!"

"And you _love_ it."

"I do."

~_~_~

Three Weevils, one confused 'tourist' and two Rift spikes of technology later and it was time for the night shift to watch over things. Everyone was exhausted and more than ready to go home.

Jason and Ianto drove to the small studio apartment and changed into more comfortable clothes before they made dinner. Ianto couldn't cook hardly at all so he chopped up vegetables for salad while Jason started the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. They ate their meal and exchanged small talk about the day. One piece of technology looked to be of alien origin while the other appeared to be a glorified sweet tea maker that had possibly come from the not too distant future of earth itself. It was fun trying to figure out what was what.

After dinner they loaded the dirty dishes into the washer and Ianto did battle with the old coffee maker he had before they settled onto the couch.

"Okay, you wanted to talk," Jason said. He sipped at his coffee and waited.

"It's about me and Jack."

"You're going back to him."

"No, I'm not." Ianto sighed and set his coffee down. "Jack's in Cardiff. I'm here. If he knows I'm alive then obviously he doesn't care to get back together with me. If he doesn't know I'm alive then it's probably for the best. I'm not saying that I don't love him. You know I do. I always will. You know that too. But I am with you. This is not a casual fling. I am not going to end things with you simply because Jack Harkness has returned to earth. I am with _you_. I love _you_."

"I love you too," Jason whispered hoarsely. "And I can live with your memories of Harkness, only because I have to. But I don't think that I could take it if you left me for someone else. Especially if it's him."

Ianto reached out and cradled Jason's face in his hands. He pressed his lips against his lover's forehead.

"I am not going to leave you. I promise."

"Then what's the matter?"

"I need to tell you about him and me so that I can move on and focus on us."

"All right. Tell me."

Ianto closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"He was born in the 51st century on a small earth colony world called the Boeshane Peninsula. We never knew his real name. He took a name from a dead World War Two soldier."

"You do realize that if you had told this to someone who doesn't work for Torchwood they would be calling the cops about now?"

"Cute. Now be quiet."

"Yes sir."

"I don't know the details but Jack used to be a Time Agent, whatever that means, and he came to earth in the 1940's and met the Doctor."

"The Doctor? You mean the guy that is the reason that Torchwood House was founded?" Okay, _that_ was unexpected. Hartman had stressed how dangerous the Doctor was to him when he had first signed up.

"The very same. They traveled together for a while. You read the reports on the battle of Canary Wharf, correct?"

"Yeah. No offense, but Torchwood One was too cocky. The destruction never should have happened."

"No, it shouldn't've," Ianto agreed. "Well, the two alien life forms were Cybermen and Daleks. The Cybermen came from an alternate reality while the Daleks came from another time. Jack and the Doctor had to battle hundreds of Daleks in earth's very distant future and Jack was killed."

"So then how is it that he's here now?"

"Jack never told me the details but somehow he was brought back to life using the Doctor's time machine. It was supposed to be a one-off but the energy was uncontrolled and he was made a Fixed Point in--"

"Time and Space." Jason stared at him. "That's why you said that to me the day I died isn't it?" He drew in a shuddering breath. "He doesn't age and you were worried that I'd been made like that too, weren't you?"

"Jack's immortal." Ianto remembered the time that Jack had been trapped in a coma-like trance. He had confessed so much to his injured lover that day, his fears and worries. "There's a good reason why you don't have to worry about me running off to find him again."

"What's that?" Jason couldn't help but notice the tears that had begun to leak from his lover's eyes.

"He ages, but at so slow a pace that it won't be noticeable in your children's lifetimes, possibly longer. He's been alive for over 150 years. He's died so many times. He's loved so many only to leave them behind."

"They all died."

"No." Ianto looked away. "Can you imagine watching someone you care about grow old while you stay young? Everyday, I grow a little older, and he's immortal…" His voice cracked, like it had when he'd said that to Jack so long ago, even though he'd thought Jack couldn't hear. "I knew when we first started whatever it was we were starting, when we got involved, that Jack wouldn't stay with me. I knew that if I managed to live to grow old and wrinkled, he wouldn't stay. He wouldn't be there to see it."

The tears flowed hotly down his face but he didn't care. He'd rarely cried in front of Jack. When Lisa had gotten lose, Jack had been killed by Abbadon and returned and when he himself was dying had he let the tears fall. There had been a few other times, but they always involved death. Even as Jack had been in the trance he had not cried. He had managed to hold the tears back. There was something about being with Jason though that made him feel that it was all right to cry. He felt safe with Jason, comfortable, familiar.

"Why do you think that? Looks are only part of the equation."

"Maybe if you're in love it is." Ianto picked up his coffee and sipped it. He looked down at the dark brew as if it had answers. It didn't. "My feelings were one-sided. I knew it, I always knew it. I wanted to believe that he loved me but it wasn't true. He may have cared, but I was little more than a consolation prize."

"And yet you hold him in such high regard. Why?"

"I don't think he meant to be so cold. Jack is a Fixed Point in Time and Space. He is going to live forever. He will always have to say goodbye to the people he cares about, he will always lose the people he loves. I've often wondered if Jack had trained himself to get over his losses quickly. It makes sense. Why let yourself get attached to someone when you know you'll lose them one day?"

"That's a pitiful excuse, Ianto," Jason said sharply. "When I married Kate I knew that one day one of us would be widowed. Hell, I was a cop; I could have died on the job. I didn't let it stop me from loving her though."

"Do you still?" Ianto whispered. His heart ached at the thought of losing another lover.

"I loved the person she _was_, I don't love the person she's _become_."

"What changed?"

"We were young, twenty years old, when we got married. We were kids playing grown-up." Jason smiled bitterly. "We wanted to be seen as responsible adults. A couple kids later, mortgages and bills piling up and we realized it wasn't all fun and games. We had to stop playing and actually grow up." He took a long drink of his coffee before continuing. "We weren't ready to deal with being adults. We tried to pretend that everything was okay but it wasn't. Between the kids and my job I guess she felt neglected. Four years before we divorced she started sleeping with my best friend. I found out a year later."

"Yet you stayed with her for three more years…"

"Marriage counseling. I begged her to end things with him and stay with me. We tried to work things out but eventually we realized we were together because of the kids. So we got divorced. Hartman recruited me and I relocated to London for two years."

Ianto held his mug close to his chest and frowned a little. "It's weird that I don't remember ever seeing you there. Any of the internationals for that matter. I mean, sure it was a big place but you'd think I'd have noticed something."

"We weren't really supposed to talk about why we were there. I think the Institute planned on springing us on you all before Canary Wharf. But when Torchwood One was destroyed, it was decided that we would all become independent to our separate governments. When were you there exactly?"

"January of 2005."

"Ah, that's it then. I was gone by December 2004. We missed each other by a couple weeks or so."

"Hmm… makes sense." Ianto set his mug back down and looked at him. "Jason, are we… are we okay?"

"That depends. Am I a consolation prize? If so, is it because I'm mortal?"

"You're not, no." Ianto reached over and plucked Jason's mug from his hands, setting it down next to his own. "I would have destroyed the world for him to make him happy but those days are behind me. I knew a long time ago that I could never have a normal life with Jack. I don't regret being with him, just some of the things that led to us being together." He shifted closer to his lover. "For you, I won't ever destroy the world. Instead I'll protect it so that we can grow old together."

He reached for Jason's belt and looked up at him. He untucked Jason's shirt and swiftly undid the buttons. His blue eyes were almost purple with arousal as he pulled his own shirt up.

"I have just one more thing to say."

"What's that?"

Ianto smiled and whispered in his ear, "Let's shag."

Jason couldn't get Ianto naked fast enough.

~_~_~

Part 24: On a Mission

"So let me get this straight," Gwen said as they drove to the airport. "You think Ianto's alive simply because you heard some bloke say something about coffee through the phone connection? Jack, be serious!"

"I am Gwen. Look," he said as he fidgeted in the passenger seat. They were in her car and he wasn't allowed to drive it, which meant he was fidgeting. "I heard Ianto offer me coffee so many times that it's ingrained in my mind. I _heard_ him offer coffee to Monroe."

"I know you miss him, I do too, but Jack, Ianto's dead." She hated to be so blunt and cruel but he really needed to move on. "We both identified his body and we were both at the funeral."

"He's alive. He's at Bluemont."

"All right, let's say he is. Why, then? Hmm? And why weren't we told he was still alive?"

"I don't know," Jack confessed. "But I'm going to find out."

Gwen glanced at him in concern. "Jack, if you are right and Ianto's alive then you might have to face facts."

"What facts?"

She took a deep breath. "That he doesn't want to be here."

"Are you saying that he lied when he told me he loved me?" The pain was clear in his voice. He had many regrets but not confessing his feelings for his lover was at the top of the list. This was followed immediately by Steven and Alice.

"No, I'm sure he did. I know you were his world. After Lisa died you helped piece him back together. But Jack, you're immortal."

"So? Tell me something I don't know."

She sighed and said, "He and I talked a lot after Owen and Tosh. He was always worried that you would leave him for someone else."

"Why would he think that?" Sure, he'd been a flirt. And yes there were the embarrassing scenes with Gwen and Rhys where he'd had to reassure his lover that there was nothing to fear. But surely Ianto hadn't actually believed that Jack was having affairs with other people?

"Jack, look at yourself in the mirror sometime. You look the same now as you do in the old photographs from the Archives. The rest of us age. The other day I was looking through a photo album and wishing that I looked as young as I had when I got married. That was six years ago almost."

"Point being?"

"Ianto would have gotten older. He would have gotten wrinkles, gray hair. Eventually he would be too old to engage in shenanigans with you."

"And you think I would have left him?"

"Would you?"

"No." He closed his eyes. "Remember the case with the deadline?"

"Yeah."

"Ianto stayed by my bed the entire time I was in that trance. I could hear everything going on around me. He talked to me while you and Rhys were gone. He voiced those same thoughts. He was worried that he was 'just a blip in time' for me. But he wasn't. He never could be." He opened his eyes and looked out the window. "The moment I met him, in a field while chasing a Weevil, I knew he was special. I tried to stay detached so I wouldn't get hurt. But the truth is, I fell in love with him that first night. I was jealous of his memories of Lisa and to be honest, I was more upset that he was still in love with her than the fact that there was a Cyberman in the Hub. I tried to ignore how I felt but I think it was inevitable that I would fall for him."

"He balanced you out in so many ways. Jack…" She hesitated here. "Remember the first time you came back? You said you came back for him. I was hurt by that."

"I know. But do you understand why you and I would never have worked even if we both had wanted it?"

"Yes. We would have driven each other crazy." She smiled. "I thought I was in love with you."

"I love you, I loved all of you."

"But you were in love with him."

"Yeah. Remember the night we met?"

"Yep."

"He asked me later if I had really gotten pregnant once. I had never considered having children before. Alice was an accident, in many ways a mistake, when you consider who I am. But for Ianto, I think I would have happily gotten pregnant again if he asked me to."

"Now that would have been interesting! A pregnant Jack Harkness!"

"If he wants children, I won't deny him."

Gwen's smile faded as she listened to Jack's wording.

"Jack, you have to be prepared to accept that you could be wrong. It might not be Ianto."

"I know. But I also know that I'm right." Jack straightened up in his seat. "I'm going to see him again. I'm going to find out why he was taken from me and who's responsible for this. And then I'm going to make them pay."

~_~_~

Mr. Franklin looked at the photos on his desk. They were of Ianto Jones and Jason Monroe at Torchwood One. They looked so happy, so content. They'd had no idea of what their lives would become. Now they were both broken, incomplete shells of their former selves.

He cared nothing for Monroe; that pissant could rot and he wouldn't bat an eye. But Ianto Jones… He was another story.

Jack Harkness was in love with Ianto. He wasn't good enough for Jack but that didn't matter. What mattered most was Jack's happiness. For whatever reason the young Archivist made Jack happy. And that was why he had to be kept safe. It was almost time for Jack to be reunited with his lover.

Time.

What a fickle bitch.

Altering time was not easy to do. He had not taken into account the consequences of his mission. In his desire to give Jack his lover back he had inadvertently killed the young man in question. He had not looked through Jack's timeline closely enough before formulating his plan. As a result he had been forced to change the timelines of many people in order to find a way to bring Ianto back to life. It had not been easy.

And now Ianto was involved with Monroe. This was intolerable. He had thought that he had dealt with this all ready.

He had learned who had authorized Ianto's posting to Bluemont and had terminated their existence. But instead of recalling the boy, he had elected to let him have his fun for now. It would soon be time for the reunion. Jack was all ready beginning to suspect something was going on. He had known that merging the two Rifts would be risky and that it would not go unnoticed. However perhaps it was better this way.

Jack had not had an easy life. It wasn't fair that he should have to suffer so much. Jack would eventually contact Bluemont and would find out that Ianto was alive. No doubt he would go charging to his lover's rescue. Monroe would take a stand but he had never met anyone quite like Jack. No, Jack was at heart bloodthirsty. He had always been, even as a child. The mere thought of his beloved Ianto in the bed of another man would bring out the warrior in him. Monroe wouldn't stand a chance. If he were fortunate, Jack would kill him quickly, before restaking his claim on Ianto.

No, Mr. Franklin smiled, he would not stop Ianto and Jason from 'playing house.' He would let Jack do that.

"Sir?"

A man in military clothes stepped through the door into his office.

"What is it?"

"Harkness has boarded a plane headed for the U.S."

"What?" So soon? Oh this was getting exciting.

"Should I intercept?"

"No." His face hardened as he looked at the younger man. "You are to leave Harkness be. You couldn't even manage to kill Monroe."

"He should have died," the other man protested.

"Well he didn't. And you managed to get yourself beat up for your troubles too."

The other man scowled as he rubbed at his wrist. If it weren't for the fact that Mr. Franklin owned him he would have gone after Ianto Jones. For some reason the piece of ass was important so he couldn't touch him.

"What about Hart?"

Mr. Franklin raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"He was spotted on earth a few days ago."

"So long as he doesn't get in the way then there's no reason to bother with him. However, I want to know his location at all times. If he gets too close to either Harkness or Jones I want to know immediately. Understood?"

"Yes sir?"

"Good. Now get out."

The Time Agent slipped out the door and Mr. Franklin turned around in his chair. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a small box. As he lifted the lid he inhaled the scent of the white sand it contained. The sand of his homeworld. Sand of a world that had been destroyed both long ago and not yet. It was a beautiful scent.

"Just a little longer, Jack and then nothing will stop us. This world will be ours'."

He looked down at a framed picture of a woman and two young boys.

He smiled.

"Soon."

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED

~_~_~

Torchwood America Timeline:

Part 1 has no real time frame as it's an introduction. Part 2 is day **0**, as it is the day before Ianto arrives, and day **1**.

Part 3 and 4 are also day **1**. Part 5 and 6 are day **2**, leading into day **3**.

Part 7 is day **10**. Part 8 and 9 also are day **10** (which means that those 3 parts move fast) and then lead into day **11** (the morning after).

Parts 10 and 11 start **eight** days later. Day **18**. Part 12 takes place **three** days after Jason gets Gwen's e-mail (day **21**).

Part 13 and 14 take place at the same time. It also carries on **two** days later (day **23**)

Part 15 and 16 take place on day **24**. Part 17 and 18 are day **25**. Part 18 also starts day **26**.

Part 19 is day **27**. Part 20 takes place on day **29**.

Part 21 takes place on day **30**.

Part 22 takes place the morning after, day **31**.

Part 23 takes place on day **31**, in the afternoon while Part 24 is in the evening (or morning, depending on the timezone). Jason and Ianto have been together for **21** days now.

~_~_~

Until next time!!!


	6. Parts 25 thru 26 plus Time Line

Part 25: Clues

Ianto snuggled closer to Jason under the covers. They hadn't gotten much sleep but he was well rested. After their long discussion they had had a quick shag followed by a late night snack and slow sex. The only thing that had pulled them from sleep had been Kate calling Jason's cell phone demanding to know if he was going to attempt to see his family at all. He had assured her that yes he was going to spend time with them but that they needed to understand that he still had to work. That had been over ten minutes ago. Now they were simply enjoying the morning together.

"Ianto?" Jason's voice was soft.

"Mm?" Ianto buried his face against Jason's pillow.

"I need to tell you something."

"Haven't we discussed enough?" He still felt out of sorts from their conversation last night.

"Well, it's kinda important." Now Jason sounded hesitant. It was kind of… cute.

"Okay, what?" Better to get it over with so that they could get back to snuggling before work.

"Promise me you won't get mad."

"Jason…" Why did people always do that? It wasn't as if he was looking for a reason to lose his temper.

"Promise me."

"Okay, I promise." Okay, he'd humor him.

"Yesterday after we got into work I got a call from Harkness."

Jason peered over at his lover. He was surprised to not see a look of anger or resentment on the other's face.

"Ianto?"

"What did he want?"

"To talk about Cooper's e-mail."

"Did he say anything about me?" Ianto's tone was normal, almost conversational.

"No. Nothing."

"Okay." Still normal.

"Okay? Is that it?" Now Jason was getting concerned. What could have happened to make his lover change his mind about Harkness?

"Well, like I said, either he doesn't know I'm alive or he doesn't care. I'm not going to dwell on it anymore. I've made my choice."

"And as pleased as punch that I am over that it kinda worries me how calm you're behaving."

"So…."

"So talk to me. Tell me why."

Ianto sighed and extracted himself from the bed. He took out a pair of pajama pants from the dresser and pulled them on. He began to pick up the various items that littered the floor. He hated to start the day with a messy home. To be honest he would have straightened it up last night but it had been a long day. He picked up a couple of books that lay on the coffee table and put them back in the bookcase.

Jason made an annoyed huffing sound and got himself out of bed. He pulled on a pair of boxers and moved to help Ianto clean.

"Ianto, I'm losing patience here," he said as he started straightening up the office area, which was littered with reports and post-it notes.

"You want to know why I'm not upset?" Ianto leaned against the back of the couch and looked at him. "I _chose_ you. I made that choice without attempting to contact Jack to see if maybe I'm wrong and he does want to be with me. I think it's better if I don't contact him, to be honest."

"But why?"

"Because I would only complicate his life."

"How so?"

Ianto sighed and rubbed at his neck. He had been thinking of this last night as he waited for sleep to come. Why had he been so quick to make a decision? He had given it careful thought and he now shared those thoughts with his lover.

"Well, if he knows I'm alive and doesn't care enough to contact me himself then he might feel obligated to be with me again. I wouldn't want to be with him if he was with me because he felt he had to be. If he _doesn't_ know then there is the very good chance that he has moved on. He has dealt with the loss and is busy living his life without me in it. If I should suddenly step back into it then he would have to decide if he wants me more than whoever he may or may not be with. I couldn't ask that of him."

"So instead of knowing for sure how he felt you would rather forget about him and move on with me?"

Ianto smiled softly at him. "I will never be able to forget him. But he has been able to carry on his life despite my dying. I can do the same. Yes it hurts that he may be involved with someone else. Yes I would love to be with him again. But I'm not about to lose you. I can't lose you."

Ianto looked away from him. "I don't know what it is about you and me and us but I felt connected to you the moment we met. I knew even then that you were going to be a significant factor in my life."

Jason leaned against Ianto's desk and looked at him.

"Wanna know something? I felt that too." He folded his arms and frowned. "I dreamed of you that first night. I dream of you every night." He smiled a little now. "It's almost as if we were meant to be together."

"That first night we were together," Ianto said, a faint blush staining his cheeks. "It felt as if we had done it so many times before. You just knew how I liked to be touched. I didn't feel nervous or awkward. You even knew about my navel." The redness spread down his body as he tried not to think about that.

"You mean how you like it when I kiss you there?" Jason asked with a smile.

"Kiss? It's more like a full on snog." Ianto smiled at him. "And every morning before we get out of bed--"

"I like to run my fingers over your stomach and touch your belly button."

"It took months for Lisa or Jack to figure out that my navel is so sensitive. But you knew instinctively."

They fell silent for a moment. Then Jason thought of something that he realized he hadn't thought of for a while now. In fact, not since he'd met Ianto.

"I used to have dreams about a lover with no face or clear features," he said carefully. He didn't want to alarm his lover. "All I could tell was that it was a man. I used to dream about him every night after I left London."

Ianto cocked his head and studied him. "I had dreams like that too. I had never been with a man before Jack. Yet I had these dream for months before I met him. They almost seemed like a memory that I had repressed. But that's silly to think about it that way." He pushed away from the couch and headed to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Jason frowned. He had also felt as if his faceless-lover dreams were repressed memories. What were the chances that Ianto and he had been having the same dream?

"When did you start having those dreams?" he asked as he tried to make sense of this.

"Just shortly after I started at Torchwood One. Why?" Ianto started the coffee and then opened the cupboard. Hmm, maybe he could talk Jason into making French toast this morning. He wasn't much of a cook himself so he was more than pleased to let Jason rule the kitchen.

"That's around the same time as me…" The cop in him came out. Coincidences were rarely just that. More often than not coincidences meant trouble. He thought of the conversation he'd had with Owen and Tosh. That was another coincidence. Jason got killed and the two people he met in the afterlife just happen to have worked with Ianto, the reason that Jason was shot in the first place? Yeah, right.

Something wasn't right about that picture. What was it Owen and Tosh had said? Files. Something about Hartman and files…. They wanted him to look through her personal files. God, he hadn't even thought much about the conspiracy these last few days. He was getting too soft. He couldn't allow his family or his relationship with Ianto to cloud his judgment. If there was indeed something going on and Yvonne Hartman had kept records of it then he had to find out. Owen and Tosh had said that there was danger. He had to prepare himself.

He watched Ianto as he started the coffee and set out the items needed for French toast. Sneaky. Ianto couldn't even boil water without messing it up. He stepped into the kitchen and reached for the eggs as he turned the stove top on. He mixed the eggs and milk together as he thought of what to do.

Obviously they had to get into Torchwood One's system. The building and people were gone, only the Board of Directors led by Mr. Franklin remained, but the files were still there. They existed on the server. Susan and Bobby had attempted to get into the server but were still coming up blank. Ianto had worked for Torchwood One. He had also been the one to access files for Cardiff. Maybe he could think of something that they hadn't.

"Ianto, you used to do some hacking for Cardiff, right?"

"It was part of my job to maintain the cover and clean up of Torchwood Cardiff. That often involved computer hacking. Why?" Ianto poured the dark roast into two cups. Both of them liked their coffee strong and black. He set Jason's mug next to the stove (he was so glad Jason had taken the hint about breakfast) and then poured the rest into a travel carafe so they could take the rest to work with them.

"The files from Torchwood One are buried deep on the server. I want to see what's contained in those files."

"Why?" Except for Jason's death experience and the nameless Time Agent it had been rather quiet at Bluemont. It truly was the dullest Torchwood base ever. Then again, Glasgow was primarily research. Jack had often complained that Glasgow never had to deal with aliens because all they did was write reports and reorganize their filing system.

"I want to continue to investigate the conspiracy theory. If someone is trying to take us down I want to know the who, what, when, where, how and why of it."

"What does Torchwood One have to do with it? Is it because I worked for it before?"

"No. There's a possibility that the conspiracy is from within the Institute. We need to find out. There are several people out there who could easily turn against us. There's also the chance that the entire Institute is in danger. There may be information on Torchwood One's server that can help us. The only ones with guaranteed access are Yvonne Hartman and Mr. Franklin. Hartman is dead and no one knows how to contact Franklin. He just sends orders and expects results."

"Never heard of him."

That was troublesome. As the Archivist for a Torchwood base Ianto should have had access to the employee files. Employees had at least their name on file. And as Mr. Franklin was one of the heads of the Institute… Ianto should have at the least heard of him. All of the international leaders had met the man.

Jason frowned and picked up his coffee. He'd worry about that later. Right now he had other things to deal with.

"So you want me to hack into Hartman's files? Anything in particular or just all of it?"

"Her personal logs. If she had a secret, that's where they'd be."

~_~_~

Part 26: Sugar Rush

Jason and Ianto agreed that they couldn't keep this from the rest of the team. There had been enough tension between them and Ianto all ready; to not tell them would not only be wrong, it would also hinder the investigation. They needed to work together to find out what the hell was going on.

The first thing they did was gather everyone in the boardroom and tell them their fears. Ianto then worked with Susan and Bobby to try to crack the seal on Hartman's files. They were also trying to find out anything they could on Mr. Franklin but that was proving difficult, to say the least. The rest of them sifted through the Archives in an attempt to find anything they could about dreams, conspiracies and anything else of that might be of use.

The Rift alert sounded shortly after lunch and they all looked up. Jason, Ianto, Miranda and Dan loaded their equipment and piled into the van. It took less than ten minutes to get to the site of the Rift energy. They climbed out of the van and looked around at the abandoned warehouse.

"Okay, Dan with me. Ianto, you and Miranda go left. Comms on at all times."

Ianto glanced at his lover briefly before heading around the left with Miranda. He hated warehouses. The last one he'd been in had been the Hub 2 the day that he had died.

He frowned at that thought. He was beginning to doubt that he had actually been dead. He had seen many things in his short life so it really wasn't hard for him to believe that he had purposely been put into stasis and was thus saved from the virus that had killed so many in the Thames House. Had UNIT been telling the truth when they told him that it was because he had special DNA? Or had he been spared because he had a purpose? Had that day, the day he had last spoken to Jack, the worst day of his life, been the day that he was _meant_ to die? Was he really not supposed to be alive now? He had so many puzzles to solve and he was terrified at what the answers might mean.

::Ianto, see anything yet?::

"No," he said into his headpiece, shaking the coldness from his thoughts. Work to do. "There's nothing."

::Maybe whatever it was has gone?:: came Dan's voice.

Ianto seriously doubted it.

Especially when he heard a slight scuffling followed by a cough. He and Miranda exchanged a look and then raised their guns.

"Jason, we heard something."

::We're on our way.::

He knew that they should have waited but Ianto wanted to get this over with. He had enough to think about than to worry about some Weevil or dazed alien looking for home. He had a conspiracy to uncover.

He reached a door with a broken handle and slowly pulled it open. It swung forward violently and almost smacked Miranda who was beside him. He quickly backed up only to land flat on his back with someone on top of him. Someone heavy.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I hardly know-- _Eye Candy_?"

_No. Oh no. Nononono. NO._

"No."

It couldn't be… It was impossible… It was cruel and unfair and downright _mean_.

"Yes." Oh, that cheeky, insufferable voice.

"Hart," he bit out. Oh God…

"That's me."

Ianto wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

~_~_~

They all stared at the man who was sitting at the table with his booted feet upon it. His hands were laced together behind his head and he was smiling at Ianto who was pacing around the room. Pacing like a caged animal.

"I do so love to watch you walk, Eye Candy," John Hart ("That's _Captain_ John Hart, if you don't mind, Sunshine.") purred as he watched Ianto stalk around. "You have one of the tightest looking arses I've ever seen." He leaned a little to the side to get a better look at said arse.

Jason clenched his hands into fists and tried to refrain from killing the man. It was bad enough that he had to deal with Ianto's powerful memories for Harkness but he would be damned if he had to compete for his affections with some little pompous soldier boy. His lover spinning around to face Hart saved him from having to rein in his own temper. Now he was going to have to rein in Ianto's instead. Ianto had his gun in his hand and had it pressed against Hart's forehead. The look on his face could only be described as loathing.

And John Hart?

The bastard was smirking at Ianto. Like it was a joke. Like Ianto didn't hold his life in his hands.

"What the hell are you playing at, Hart?" Ianto demanded. He ignored the shocked looks he was receiving from the others as he held the gun tight in his grip.

"I was just exploring this dingy planet some more. Every few months I pop by and see what's new." Hart leaned back and smiled a salacious smile at Ianto, looking him up and down. "I must say I never expected to run into _you_ here. But since I have, what can you tell me about Sunshine here?" He gestured towards Jason, who did not appreciate the nickname one bit. "All those muscles and that face -- to die for! I'll bet he's good in the sack too!"

"Like you'll get the chance to find out," Ianto ground out angrily. He'd had to contend with Jack's memories of Hart; he was not going to do anything to push Jason at the man too. He was not going to give up his lover to that 51st century slut.

"Ooh! You're so sexy when you're jealous! Let me guess," John said in a wicked tone. "You and Sunshine here are knockin' boots, aren't you?" He grinned up at Ianto. "Can't say that I blame you! Oh the things I would do to him myself! But what about Jack? Don't tell me you finally tired of his attitude and left him? If so, you should consider taking me up on my offer…"

"Fuck you."

"Oh, goody! I always did like you, Eye Candy!"

Ianto's eyes darkened to almost black. He let out a sound that could have been a growl and he yanked Hart from the chair and slammed him against the wall.

"My name is IANTO. Not Eye Candy. _Ianto_."

Hart was as surprised as the others at how Ianto had reacted.

Jason shook himself and moved towards them slowly. He had to force himself to remain unbiased and detached since it was clear that Ianto couldn't. There was obviously bad blood between them.

Ianto felt Jason's strong hands carefully pries the gun from his fingers and then pull him off of Hart. He felt his entire body trembling. John Hart had always had that effect on him.

"Why don't you go make us some coffee, Ianto?" Jason suggested as he steered his lover towards the door. "I'll deal with him." _And you can settle yourself down._

"Yes, _Ianto_, go be a good Tea Boy and serve us refreshments." Hart smiled brightly at the two of them. "I'll be sure to keep Sunshine here warm for you." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not bloody likely!" Ianto snarled as he tried to get to Hart. It was bad enough that Jack had been involved with Hart at one point. He was not going to risk Hart seducing Jason away from him. "Touch him, get too close, even just breathe on him and I swear I will rip your cock off and feed it to you on a stick!"

A possessive Ianto could probably be a sexy Ianto given the right circumstances and frame of mind but right now it was just downright scary.

Hart cooed at Jason, "Help me Sunshine! Don't let him hurt me!"

Jenny and Sam quickly moved to help Jason restrain Ianto. He was very angry and determined to get to Hart.

"Ianto, calm down!"

"Just let me strangle him…"

"Ianto!"

Jason forcefully pulled his lover from the room and down the hall. He ignored the singsong voice of John Hart calling after them as he pressed Ianto against the wall and held him there. Ianto struggled but he was no match for Jason's physical strength.

"You need to calm down, Ianto, do you understand?"

"Just let me--"

"Ianto. LOOK AT ME."

Before the _'I'm Jason Monroe and you can't tell me what to do'_ tone hadn't even fazed Ianto. Now though it caused his body to go rigid and he stared up at his lover with a desperate expression on his face. He had also fallen silent. It was amazing what sleeping with someone could do to a person.

Jason regarded him carefully. He really knew nothing about Ianto. For all he knew this display of volatility was normal for his lover. Normal didn't mean he was going to tolerate it though.

"Now, what's the matter? I know this guy is an ass, everyone can see it, but that's no reason to threaten to kill him."

Ianto drew in a deep, shuddering breath. He looked hopelessly at Jason.

"He and Jack… They… Once they were… together…" he rasped out.

"So you're jealous? Hardly a reason to go crazy!"

"No, it's…" Ianto felt himself close to tears. He had to find the words to make Jason understand. "He helped Jack's brother. Tosh and Owen died because of him. We almost lost Jack too. And now he's here and he's… Jason!" He clutched at his lover. "I won't let him take you from me…"

Jason sighed and pulled Ianto close to him. Perhaps it was all too much too soon for Ianto. Jack Harkness was not only alive and well but may have abandoned him. There was the conspiracy to deal with. Add to that the fact that less than a month dating and Jason's family had dropped into their laps. John Hart was just another slap in the face to Ianto's fragile state of mind. A nervous breakdown about to happen.

"I am not going to leave you for him. One, I don't know him. Two, I love you." He kissed Ianto's forehead and sighed. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I can't lose you. I just found you again," Ianto mumbled into his neck.

The choice of words was perplexing. Yes Ianto had lost him during his brief death but he hadn't had to search for him.

"You won't lose me."

Ianto pressed himself closer, his face buried against Jason's neck.

"I lost you once… It killed me to forget."

Jason frowned and pulled him closer.

Something tugged at his mind, a memory long forgotten.

A memory of a faceless lover. A memory of Ianto.

But it couldn't be real.

Could it?

~_~_~

She stood outside of Mr. Franklin's office. She could hear him speak angrily.

"I told you to keep me informed of Hart's whereabouts!"

"He slipped past our monitors, sir. We're trying to find him now."

"Don't tell me you're trying. I want him found. If he makes contact with Jones then I will have your head."

"Yes sir, of course sir."

She flattened herself against the wall as the door banged open and the Time Agent rushed out.

She watched him as he ran down the corridor. He had failed Mr. Franklin several times all ready; how many more chances would he get before he was killed? The UNIT officers who had sent Ianto Jones away had been killed for displeasing him. Who was to say that he would spare any of them?

She knew that she should not have gotten involved with Mr. Franklin the moment she had met him. But he had promised her so many things that she had found it hard to say no. She had become his eyes and ears at Torchwood Cardiff and had even helped him deal with Torchwood One. She had even given up her life to protect his secrets.

Now she was paying the price.

"Ms. Costello, step inside and close the door."

Suzie swallowed and ran a shaking hand through her hair.

She had made her choice on a rainy Tuesday several years ago. She couldn't turn back now, not if she wanted to stay out of the darkness.

_Ianto, Jack, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry._

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED

~_~_~

Torchwood America Timeline:

Part 1 has no real time frame as it's an introduction.

Part 2 is day **0**, as it is the day before Ianto arrives, and day **1**.

Part 3 and 4 are also day **1**.

Part 5 and 6 are day **2**, leading into day **3**.

Part 7 is day **10**.

Part 8 and 9 also are day **10** (which means that those 3 parts move fast) and then lead into day **11** (the morning after).

Parts 10 and 11 start **eight** days later (which means that while Ianto is comparing Jack and Jason, Jason is reading the e-mail from Gwen). Day **18**.

Part 12 takes place **three** days after Jason gets Gwen's e-mail (day **21**).

Part 13 and 14 take place at approximately the same time (the evening of day **21** in WV, USA and the following morning in Cardiff… time zones confuse me so don't expect me to calculate time differences). It also carries on **two** days later (day **23**)

Part 15 and 16 take place on day **24**.

Part 17 and 18 are day **25**. Part 18 also starts day **26**.

Part 19 is day **27**.

Part 20 takes place on day **29**.

Part 21 takes place on day **30**. (Jason and Ianto have been together for **20** days now. Wow. All ready meeting the family too!)

Part 22 takes place the morning after, day **31**.

Part 23 takes place on day **31**, in the afternoon while Part 24 is in the evening (or morning, depending on the time zone).

Part 25 and 26 are day **32**.

~_~_~

Bet you weren't expecting Suzie to show up, huh? I decided back when I first started writing this to include her since I felt that RTD and Co. missed out on a great opportunity to have her play a recurring villain. Her character had so much potential. I can easily see her helping Gray or even the Master.

As for Hart… Believe it or not he's not a bad guy here, not really. He just couldn't resist pissing Ianto off.

Ianto may have acted totally unlike himself in the last part but keep in mind that Hart is a thorn in his side (because of Jack) and that there really is too much going on in such a short span of time for him to be able to adequately cope with it all. Add to that the revelations that involve him and Jason are starting to make themselves known. Nervous breakdown indeed!!

At this point I am about 4 chapters ahead of Part 26. The long anticipated reunion of Ianto and Jack as well as the meeting of Jack and Jason is almost here. I'm sorry it's taking so long but I don't think I could have done it sooner, not without it feeling rushed to me.

The truth about Jack, Jason and Ianto is going to begin to come out. Also, the identity of Mr. Franklin (some good guesses, one person got it just doesn't quite seem to realize) is going to be revealed. The story of Torchwood America is far from over. Just knowing who the bad guy is isn't enough to stop him from ruining everything.

Until next time!!!


	7. Part 27 plus Time Line

Part 27: It was a Rainy Tuesday

Two years before she met Captain Jack Harkness she had worked in a clothing store while going to university. Susie Costello had been full of ideas and hopes and dreams. She was smart and funny and she loved to sing karaoke with her friends on Tuesday nights at the local pub. One particular Tuesday changed her life forever.

It was a rainy Tuesday. The pub had closed and she and her friends had gone to an all-night café for a late-late meal before she headed home. She cursed when she realized that she had spent all her money and that all she had to protect her from the elements was a tiny umbrella that had seen better days. She walked quickly towards her flat, wishing that she had worn her trainers instead of her new heels. They were so cute though and they went with this shirt so well. Oh well, once she got home she could soak her feet for a bit before turning in. Besides, it had been worth it. She was fairly certain that the cute server at the café was into her. Hmm… Maybe she would go back for dinner tonight. She would wear the green skirt with the cream colored shirt that she had bought last week at--

"Oof!" She bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry!" she said as she looked up at the man she had just run into.

"No problem, miss."

He wasn't English. He didn't even sound a little British. In fact he sounded American. He was an attractive man in his forties with brown hair and strong features. He wore a suit and a trench coat and was smiling at her.

She smiled back. "Sorry. Didn't mean to run you down." She started to move around him to continue on her way home.

"That's quite all right, Miss Costello."

Her legs froze. How did he know her name? Oh God, was he stalking her?

"What…"

"I've been looking for you."

She slowly turned, wishing that she had waited for her friends to finish eating so that at least she wouldn't have been walking alone tonight.

"How do you--"

"--know your name?" His smile widened. "Like I said, I've been looking for you."

"Why?" Keep him talking. Maybe a cop car would be around soon.

"Because it's time for you to join Torchwood."

"Huh?" She slipped her hand into her jacket pocket where her mobile was. Maybe she could call the 999 or one of her friends. If they heard the conversation then they might realize something was wrong.

"Torchwood." He stepped closer to her. "And there's no need to be afraid, Susie. I'm not going to hurt you." He slipped his hand into her pocket and removed her mobile. "I'm offering you the chance to be more than what you are. I'm offering you the chance to prove to that bastard of a father that you are indeed worth it."

Her father always told her how useless she was. He blamed her for her mother's death by childbirth. She had always tried to prove him wrong, to show him that she was not incompetent or stupid.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"I'm Mr. Franklin, head of the Torchwood Institute."

"And what does Torchwood do exactly?" Her heart was starting to race. Sweat slowly beaded onto her forehead.

"We hunt aliens."

He sounded so sincere, so intelligent it was impossible for her not to believe him.

And so she signed away her life.

Now she sat in Mr. Franklin's office looking out the window into the vastness of space. Earth was slowly spinning on its axis below the station.

She had indeed signed away her life, but not to Torchwood. No, her life belonged to Mr. Franklin. She had been too stupid to realize that the man before her had his own agenda and that Torchwood merely provided him with the opportunities needed to achieve it.

The station was not a normal station. It existed between times. Mr. Franklin had used advanced technology to design and build the station. Here was where he lived, where he monitored earth and more importantly, where he watched Jack.

She turned her eyes towards the desk. There were various items scattered on top. She looked past the books, folders, box and the coffee mug to the picture that sat innocently in a silver frame. The picture was of a happy family. It was a curious picture, as the people in it seemed to be moving. The woman stood behind two young boys, one with sandy blond hair (the kind that would become brown as he grew older) and the other with curly brown hair. She was smiling as she watched them. The blond boy was lifting his brother up with his hands and the mother laughed. The creepy thing was that the boy was _actually_ lifting up the other and the mother was _really_ throwing her head back and laughing.

Susie shivered as she looked at the picture.

"My wife and children."

She raised her eyes to look across at Mr. Franklin.

"What?"

"You asked me before _why_, so now I'm telling you."

He peered at her through the glasses that he had donned. He claimed that he needed them only for reading but she felt that he wore them just for show. He liked to show off. It reminded her of someone. If only she knew who.

"Your family… Where are they?" She had never seen them around. Considering that she had been here for a while now she was fairly certain she would have noticed two young children running around. The station had less than one hundred people on it and they were all handpicked UNIT and Torchwood operatives. The station was not for families.

"They're dead." His voice was flat and monotonous. His eyes were devoid of all emotion except for anger.

"How did they die?" She hoped she was able to keep her fear hidden. But he was a terrifying man. He was so much like… _someone_.

"Aliens invaded our home world. My youngest son was taken and tortured for years. My older son and wife survived but were traumatized. My older son left home a few years later to join the Agency. My wife was alone, except for a few visits from him, for the rest of her life. Several years after the invasion my home world was destroyed. My wife was on the planet. She wasn't able to get off. No one was."

Susie chewed on her lip. There was more. She really didn't want to know any more but she knew that she was going to get the answers to her questions anyway.

"Your older son?"

"He was here," he said as he pointed out the window to the blue planet below. "In your time, maybe a little before." He looked at her and smiled. "He traveled _back_ in time to your planet. You knew him, you worked for him for years."

"Jack." That was why Mr. Franklin seemed so familiar. Like Jack Harkness he commanded respect with just a glance. And Jack could be terrifying as well. One did not cross him without consequences.

She curled her hands into themselves, her nails grazing her palms. There had always been so much about Jack that she had wanted to know. She had always been afraid to ask. Jack Harkness was a conundrum that she had wanted to solve. Now she was solving him and she didn't want to anymore.

"Yes, _Jack_. Although that's not his real name. However he has chosen to go by it and so I will call him as such." Mr. Franklin stood and went to stand before the glass. "You know about his… _condition_, don't you?"

"His inability to die?" It was still difficult to wrap her mind around that concept. For her it had only been a few months since her multiple deaths and so she was still trying to figure it all out.

"Yes, that." He breathed onto the cool glass and drew patterns in the condensation with his finger. "He can't stay dead. Imagine what something like that would do to a person? He has to watch, has had to watch, so many people that he has cared about, people he has loved die. I will not allow him to continue to suffer."

"So how does _Ianto_ fit into all of this?" The quiet Archivist had meant nothing to her when she had been at Cardiff but he had also stayed well out of her way. The fact that he had suffered so much was truly tragic as far as she was concerned.

"Because that is when he truly began to suffer." He touched his palm to the glass and frowned. "Jack is immortal. Why he loved someone so _fragile_, so easily killed is beyond me. But he did and does. So as his father it is my duty to help him get through the pain of loss."

"But Ianto died…"

"Yes, that was a mistake on my part. I had not looked carefully enough at Jack's personal time line to see that the 456 would kill Jones. So I contacted the 456, giving them reason to return to the earth, without realizing that they would be the ones to kill, not save, Jones. I made a mistake that I have been correcting ever since."

"How?" This was ludicrous. How could he _change_ time?

"By reviewing more of Jack's time line. He was never supposed to meet Jones. Jack is from the 51st century. Ianto Jones died centuries before Jack was even born. When Jack became immortal and then traveled backwards in time he changed his and Jones' time lines."

"But I don't understand."

"Jones initially met and became involved with Jason Monroe. In his _original_ personal time line he never had the opportunity to meet Jack and so he ended up spending the rest of his life with Monroe. He was able to be happy with that barbarian." His dislike of the Torchwood Bluemont leader was apparent in his tone.

"So what's the problem?"

"By changing the time lines Jack met Jones and eventually fell in love. Therefore losing Jones destroyed his soul."

Susie ran a hand over her mouth.

"But why are you so angry with Monroe? And why stalk John Hart?"

"I tried to keep Monroe and Jones from ever meeting but I arrived too late to stop it. I ended their little affair and erased it from their memories. But now Jones and Monroe are together again. And Hart is a liability. He is unstable and calculating. He wants Jack for himself and will try to keep Jones away."

"Then why not leave Hart alone? If he sees that Ianto is involved with someone else then he'll not tell Jack."

"Jack will be told that Jones is alive soon."

She was so confused. Mr. Franklin was telling her that he wanted Jack and Ianto to be together but his actions told a different tale.

"Then why have you kept him hidden from Jack?"

"Because the process of saving him, using the very device that saved me years ago from the invasion coupled with the life-saving energy of Jack's kiss, caused serious brain damage. The damage was so severe that if I had given him back to Jack in that condition then my son would resent me. He would have blamed me for hurting his partner. I had to heal Jones' brain properly before telling Jack. I brought him here as soon as possible after his burial and began the process. He was brain dead for several months before we finally got a response. However there were complications. The previous memory suppression was warring with his memories of Jack and it was keeping him in a state of near-death. His brain was dying under the assault of returning memories and many times he had to be resuscitated. Even once his brain began to function without machines he was unable to function on his own. He had to be retaught everything. How to walk, how to talk, how to chew… The list is endless. I also had to erase Monroe from his memories again."

"Why? I mean," she said as he turned to look at her. "Why can't he keep those memories too? If he loves Jack then his past relationships wouldn't matter."

"That's the problem though, Miss Costello. Ianto Jones did and does truly love Jason Monroe. Monroe is a threat to my son's happiness. This cannot be allowed. If this continues then I may have to look for a more… _permanent_ solution."

He was crazy. He was absolutely _insane_. She knew it now. Had known it for a while, if she were honest with herself. She didn't want to ask her next question but she needed to. She _needed_ to know.

"What kind of solution?" she whispered.

Mr. Franklin turned back to his desk. He picked up the framed picture and ran his fingers over it lovingly.

"If Jason Monroe will not willingly give up Ianto Jones then I will have him killed."

Somehow she had known that's what his answer would be.

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED

~_~_~

Sorry you only get one chapter today but I have a reason! I didn't want to make you have to wait for too long for an update but I am in the process of REWRITING TW America.

My beta is looking over the current version of TW America. Once she has sent me her comments/critiques/suggestions I will be rewriting the **whole** story. I will keep the original version up for a bit so you can compare the two. However, once she has looked over the current story there will be NO UPDATE for a week or two. I update my **profile** nearly every week, so if there is no update posted then look there for news. I now know the who, what, when, where, how and whys of the story so as I get more written I will have her beta read it BEFORE it is posted so please bear with me!

~_~_~

_Torchwood America Timeline:_

Part 1 has no real time frame as it's an introduction. Part 2 is day **0**, as it is the day _before_ Ianto arrives, and day **1**.

Part 3 and 4 are also day **1**. Part 5 and 6 are day **2**, leading into day **3**. Part 7 is day **10**.

Part 8 and 9 also are day **10** (which means that those 3 parts move fast) and then lead into day **11** (the morning after).

Parts 10 and 11 start **eight** days later (which means that while Ianto is comparing Jack and Jason, Jason is reading the e-mail from Gwen). Day **18**.

Part 12 takes place **three** days after Jason gets Gwen's e-mail (day **21**).

Part 13 and 14 take place at approximately the same time (the evening of day **21** in WV, USA and the following morning in Cardiff… time zones confuse me so don't expect me to calculate time differences). It also carries on **two** days later (day **23**)

Part 15 and 16 take place on day **24**. Part 17 and 18 are day **25**. Part 18 also starts day **26**.

Part 19 is day **27**. Part 20 takes place on day **29**. Part 21 takes place on day **30**. (Jason and Ianto have been together for **20** days now. Wow. All ready meeting the family too!)

Part 22 takes place the morning after, day **31**. Part 23 takes place on day **31**, in the afternoon while Part 24 is in the evening (or morning, depending on the time zone).

Parts 25 thru 27 are day **32**.


	8. Parts 28 thru 29 plus Time Line

Part 28: Another Rainy Tuesday

_**It was raining. It was raining and he was late. Shit. Second week on the job and he was late. He ran as fast as he could to the bus stop. The doors were just about to close when he thrust his arm in between. The driver scowled but he flashed a smile at the surly man and quickly took a seat. He shifted impatiently in his seat as the bus ploughed down the road. Hopefully he would get there in time. But he wasn't really counting on it.**_

**God I knew I shouldn't have stayed up to watch that movie. **

_**He was off the bus before the doors had even fully opened. He raced down the block towards the Torchwood Tower and shoved the large glass doors open. He swiped his security card and pushed his way through the inner doors to get inside the lobby. He didn't even bother to wait for the lift; instead he ran to the door marked **_**'stairs'**_** and ran at full speed to the fifth floor. **_

_**"Just in time, mate!" Charlie said as he hung up his wet trench coat on the hook by the door.**_

_**"Barely! I overslept and thought I was done for!"**_

_**"Ha! Doesn't matter anyway. Hartman had all the heads meet in the third floor boardroom as soon as they got in today. We're on our own here."**_

_**"Oh good! Then no one will notice if I go grab a coffee."**_

_**"Get one for me, will ya?"**_

_**He smiled at his coworker and went back out the door. The break room was just down the hall so he took his time. When he arrived he noticed that the coffee pot was empty and smiled. He had worked at a café for over a year and had come to appreciate the pros of making a good pot of coffee himself. **_

_**He carefully measured grinds and water and then stood there watching as the beverage brewed. He loved coffee. He drank so much of it that his friends joked that if they cut him open the dark roasted brew would trickle out in place of blood.**_

_**He poured coffee into two paper cups and picked them up. He didn't bother with lids as he was just going back down the hall. Hardly anyone but those stationed on the fifth floor ever came up here so there was little chance of running into anyone. **_

_**However fate had decided to intervene.**_

_**His body collided with another just outside the break room. He heard a hiss as the hot coffee made contact with skin and winced.**_

_**"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and I…"**_

**His body tensed as he became aware of the intense gaze that was locked onto him and slowly looked up to face one of the most striking men he had ever seen.**

_**Tall, over six feet, with a toned body, short black hair, dark brown eyes, straight nose, high cheek bones, square jaw -- tall, dark and handsome. Quite the complete package. It was not easy for him to control himself. He felt a surge of heat through his body that nearly overwhelmed him. He had to force himself to breathe in slow, even breaths and focus on getting his heart rate back to normal (Thu-thump thu-thump). **_

_**The man stretched out his hand in greeting. The hand was large, strong and had a firm grip. **_

_**"No problem. I'm Jason Monroe." **_

_**Monroe's voice was rich and deep; shivers trickled down his spine at the sound. He had to regain control of his body or else he would go mad. He had never been attracted to a man before but right now he was finding it difficult to focus on anything but that perfect face.**_

_**He parted his own lips and spoke.**_

_**"Jones. Ianto Jones."**_

Ianto shot up with a gasp. His heart was pounding as sweat poured down his body.

"A dream… just a dream." It had just been a dream. But it had felt so _real_. He could remember what Jason had been wearing and the tilt of his head as he had smiled down at him. He could remember offering to pay the dry cleaning bill and then fixing a fresh cup for the older man.

He could remember every single detail as if it had just happened.

_But I didn't know Jason until I came here._

He looked over at the man sleeping next to him. Jason had spent a good portion of the day assuring Ianto that John Hart was not at all appealing to him. Hart's wrist strap had been confiscated and the Time Agent was put up for the night in a motel. Ianto had wanted him locked up but Miranda had pointed out (much to Hart's delighted laughter) that Hart was not considered an official threat and therefore they had no such right. At least he couldn't use his Vortex Manipulator to sneak into the base while he was on the planet. Jason had said that it would be given to him when he was ready to leave.

The patter of rain falling outside drew Ianto's thoughts back to the dream. He slowly, so as not to disturb his lover, rose and stepped over to the window. He watched the rain hit the glass and shivered. He turned and walked to the kitchen area. Opening the refrigerator he pulled out a bottle of juice. As he straightened up he noticed the calendar.

Tuesday. A rainy Tuesday.

Could his dream be real? But he didn't remember Jason back then.

Too much too soon. That was what Jason had said yesterday. That had to be it. There was so much going on that his mind was overloaded and was compensating by taking over his dreams. Yes, that was it.

_Are you sure?_

He looked up and frowned.

_Come on Tea Boy. You're smarter than that!_

Owen. The bastard antagonized him in life and now in death. But he found that hearing the voice of a dead colleague didn't bother him nearly as much as it should have. That alone _did_ bother him. The last time he had heard the ghosts was in Jason's apartment a few days back. How could he be so used to it now? What did it mean? It was almost as if they were watching over him from the darkness.

Funny how much had changed in that short time.

He jumped as a pair of arms wrapped themselves securely around his waist.

"Such a serious face, Mr. Jones."

"Throwing my own words back at me?"

"Too damned early to think of something more original. Breakfast?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could eat out this morning. That is, of you want to?"

Jason pressed a kiss against his neck and ran his fingers lightly over Ianto's navel, sending delightful shivers through the younger man.

"Not having to do the dishes? I'm in."

"Good." Ianto turned and tugged him towards the bathroom. "Shower then breakfast."

"Works for me."

~_~_~

Miranda was walking from the supply closet to her desk when the phone in Jason's office rang. It was still early so the Bluemont leader and Ianto had not yet arrived. In fact there were only herself, Jenny and Dan in at the moment. All three were busy trying to get caught up on work and Miranda was working on less than three hours' sleep.

She went into the office and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Torchwood."

"I need to speak to Jason Monroe."

"He's not here yet. Can I take a message?" She reached for the notepad on Jason's desk.

"When will he be in?"

"Probably another half an hour. He and Ianto usually are in by nine." Pen, she needed a pen.

"Ianto?"

"Second in Command, Ianto Jones." She found a pen and lifted it. "May I ask who's calling?"

Click.

She frowned and set the phone back on its cradle. Probably a cop or government worker. They often had to deal with the police and government so it was never a surprise to get phone calls from them. She wasn't used to being hung up on though. Probably a bad connection or something. She shrugged and went back to her own work. She was two days late on a report and Ianto was a stickler for getting things done on time.

By the time she was sitting at her desk the phone call had left her mind.

~_~_~

Jason parked the car and turned off the ignition. He and Ianto got out of the car and started for the research center entrance.

"Good morning Eye Candy! You too Sunshine!"

"Ianto, no!"

Jason curled his fingers around Ianto's bicep and held him fast. He could completely understand where Ianto was coming from as far as John Hart was concerned. Hell, if Tyler ever showed up he wouldn't let the backstabbing bastard get within a hundred feet of Ianto. But he was also not going to have a reenactment of yesterday.

John Hart smiled a bright, cheery smile as he sat on the low wall in front of the entrance. He kicked his feet as if he hadn't a care in the world. To be honest, he enjoyed winding the younger man up. He had enjoyed it when Jack had been involved and he was loving it now with Monroe. Ooh, that man was built! Too bad it was easy to see that it was Ianto who turned him on. Didn't mean he wouldn't try though.

"What do you want?" Jason demanded as he steered Ianto as far from Hart as possible.

"Besides you? My wrist strap, actually."

"You're leaving?" Ianto said icily. "I'll go get it. Shall I program the coordinates for you? Say, for the sun?"

"You're sexy when you're angry, you know that?"

"Sod off!"

"Ianto," Jason said in a warning tone.

Glancing at his lover Ianto visibly deflated. He stepped a little closer and glared at the shorter man who was just grinning at them.

"Wait here, Hart. I'll bring it up. And then I want you gone."

"No problem," Hart said smoothly. "I only wanted a look ar-- Eye Candy, what is it?"

Jason looked at Ianto now.

Ianto had tensed, his body tight and rigid. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt a shiver trickle slowly down his spine. His heart began to pound out a familiar rhythm (Thuthu-thump, thuthu-thump) and his nostrils flared as an _achingly_ familiar scent reached him.

_51__st__ centuries pheromones. You people have _no_ idea…_

Jason could feel his heart breaking as his lover turned.

"_Ianto_!"

A man with dark brown hair, straight nose, mesmerizing blue eyes and a long blue-gray coat was walking towards them. The dark haired woman standing with her hands over her mouth didn't even register to any of them.

The man moved with swift, purposeful strides. Each step accompanied the feeling of having a new crack in the wall that guarded Jason's emotions as he watched the man walk towards them.

He couldn't even move as Ianto brushed past him and ran to the other man.

The man gathered Ianto into his arms and held him close.

"Ianto…" he breathed as he cradled the trembling body to him.

"Jack…. _Jack_…."

A single tear broke free. Jason felt his heart shatter.

And it began to rain.

~_~_~

Part 29: Reasons Why

It had been raining only a few hours before they had met. The ground was still a little bit damp as first one then the other found themselves rolling on the ground with a Weevil.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And you are…?"

"Jones. Ianto Jones."

They were all ready falling for each other.

Jack knew how dangerous his life could be and he was afraid of what would happen to the young man should he let him in it. So he brushed him aside. The next morning he tasted the first of so many exquisite coffees and prayed that he could maintain his air of indifference. The next evening, a rainy Tuesday, he let himself forget his concerns as he followed Ianto to the warehouse. As they rolled on the floor he found himself feeling freer than he had felt since he first came back to life. Looking into those bright blue eyes he found himself falling.

"I should go."

_Stay! I want you to stay!_

And so he gave Ianto what he wanted. He asked him to join Torchwood III.

Even with all of the pain that they had to endure -- Lisa, Abbadon, Jack's leaving, John Hart, Jack's infatuation with Gwen, Gray -- Jack never once regretted bringing Ianto into his life. What he did regret was his inability to express his feelings with words.

"He thought we were together. Like a couple. He said 'you two' like, ahhe, _'you two_!'"

"But we are." He gave a pointed look to his lover. "Does it matter?"

Oh, it had mattered, at least to Ianto. He had seen the hurt flash in those eyes then and again back at the Hub.

"Even she's calling us a couple now."

"I hate the word 'couple'."

"Me too." His voice had been so soft, so hurt and Jack had stiffened and pretended not to hear.

He remembered kissing Ianto desperately as he forced him onto the platform that night. He wanted to tell him how much he cared but there wasn't time.

"I'll come back," he promised as the lift began to rise. Ianto had looked at him with sorrow and pain on his face.

"I always do." But would he? Even _he_ hadn't been for certain. He had never been blown up and the Doctor had admitted to him at one point that Jack was a new thing, an anomaly. Who knew if he was even truly immortal?

Ianto had taken hold of Jack's hand in the car and refused to let go as they sped away towards safety. Jack had carefully pulled Ianto closer to him. Ianto was trembling as he smiled a shaky smile at him.

"I'm okay," Jack said.

"Yeah. You came back. I just wish it hadn't been so painful. For you."

"What do you mean?"

"I could hear you. Screaming." His voice had stayed soft so as not to alarm Gwen or Rhys in the front seat. Ianto had laid his head against Jack's bare shoulder and had fallen silent until Gwen asked where they were going.

Jack and Ianto had had many arguments during their time together. Over how the Archives were set up, over Lisa, over how Jack had had no choice with the faeries (although to be fair that argument had been Ianto telling him that he had been in the right so "stop being so hard on yourself!"), over the Doctor and Gwen and how jealously wasn't becoming, over Owen being allowed back on the field. Their last argument stood out in Jack's mind because it had been done with softer tones, no yelling or cursing involved. It was as if they had known that it was the last argument they would have.

"I've only just scraped the surface haven't I?"

"Ianto, that's all there is."

"No." _Such sad eyes._ "You pretend that's all there is."

He had been right but Jack had also been very afraid. He kept certain things to himself, like his family and his immortality, because he knew that they were things that could be used against him. In truth, the reason he wouldn't acknowledge them as a 'couple' wasn't due to a loathing of the word. Most enemies wouldn't take a sex buddy hostage but they _would_ take a lover. A _partner_. That was what Ianto had become to him. He was terrified that someone would realize that Ianto was more than just a shag and warm body. He was terrified beyond all reason that someone who wanted to hurt him would kidnap Ianto and use him as a tool against Jack. And so he avoided the issue whenever possible.

He even tried to convey that to Ianto by telling him that Alice and Steven had been taken hostage. He had seen the worry, the fear on his lover's face but he had forced himself to turn away. It wasn't just about keeping Ianto at arms' length anymore. He had to protect his own family as well.

Ianto had curled up beside him that night despite being angry and hurt because of Jack. No words had been said; Ianto had simply wrapped himself around his lover and fell into a fitful sleep. The next day they had gone to stand up to the 456.

"I'm sorry," Jack said as soon as he started the car.

Ianto hadn't said anything for several moments. Jack was worried that maybe that fight had hurt Ianto too much to forgive him. Then he felt Ianto's trembling hand curl tightly around his.

"Me too."

He was forgiven.

The lift seemed to move too fast. Jack looked at the man next to him. Was Ianto even afraid? Jack was. Jack was scared to death. He didn't know what he was facing. He had never met the 446 so he didn't know what they might do or what they were capable of.

Jack leaned over and pressed his lips hard against his lover's. Ianto's mouth opened to allow him access and his hands (still trembling) reached up to tangle in Jack's hair. Jack pulled Ianto as close as he could to him and slipped his tongue in. He was so afraid that this kiss would be their last so he memorized everything he could about Ianto. He had never kissed with both his and his partner's eyes open. It was as if Ianto were trying to memorize him too. His eyes were filled with only one emotion. Love. Ianto Jones wanted to make sure that Jack knew he loved him.

They broke the kiss and turned back to the lift doors, smoothing down their clothes.

If only they had known how quickly the end would come.

"Then I take it all back but NOT HIM!"

_Oh God, please not Ianto! I've lived a thousand lifetimes and will love many more but I can't take **this**._

He knew that one day Ianto would die. Had always known. It was inevitable. But he had been determined that Ianto would die of old age surrounded by loved ones in their bed. No one who loved Jack got to experience that.

"It's all my fault."

"No it's not."

_Stop protecting me! All of it -- Lisa, Owen and Tosh, Gray and now you -- stop telling me that! It's because I'm me! I did it. I did this to you! I killed you! I loved you and now I've killed you!_

"I love you…" The words were soft and tear-filled. Ianto's resolve to remain brave and unafraid was crumbling.

"Don't," Jack breathed as he cradled Ianto close to him. _I'm not worth it. I've killed you, so how can you say that?_ For the first time he regretted giving in and hiring Ianto. If he had refused then Ianto would not be dying. Ianto would be living a full life surrounded by loved ones. He wouldn't be breaking Jack's heart.

"Hey? It was… good, yeah?" Still trying to protect his immortal lover. To spare him from pain.

"Yeah…" Ianto was dying. He could feel it with each labored breath. Where was the Doctor? Why wasn't he here?

"Don't forget me…" _Oh, how could I? So many lives and only the one with you mattered. No one made me feel as alive, as mortal as you. Not Estelle, not John, not Gwen, not Lucia. Not even the Doctor. No one. Just you, Ianto Jones._

"Never could." He tried to smile but tears were making their way free. He saw the doubt in Ianto's eyes. He remembered their conversation in the hospital not so long ago. No, Ianto would never, NEVER be a blip in time for Captain Jack Harkness. When all life had ceased to exist and there was only Jack, in some form or another, he would still remember Ianto. He knew that. Somwhow, he knew that he would never be able to forget Ianto Jones.

Because he loved him. He loved him enough to want to make him immortal. He loved him enough to want to die with him and never wake up. The darkness wouldn't frighten him if he were with Ianto. Ianto, who had held him each time he died. Ianto, who had forgiven him so quickly, though painfully, for Lisa's death. Ianto, who had assured him that Jasmine had wanted to go with the faeries and who had arranged Estelle's funeral. Ianto, who had been willing to let him go to Gwen. Ianto, who had staked his claim on Jack at the wedding.

It was always going to be _Ianto_. No other lover, no matter how dear, would ever compare to Ianto. No other lover would be able to take Ianto's place in his heart.

"In a thousand years' time… you won't remember me…"

The life in those eyes, eyes that had sparkled so many times, was fading. And Ianto was still unsure if he had meant anything to the one he loved.

"I will, I promise." _I can't forget you. You, who I wasn't even supposed to meet. You, a man from the 21__st__ century, who stole my heart so completely. Oh, Ianto, there will never be anyone else like you. Not for me. No one will be able to compare. You loved me even though I was a monster. With you I was happy, truly happy._

Ianto looked at him as his heart stopped. His eyes drifted closed as Jack whispered for him to "Don't leave me, Ianto, _please." I need you. Please stay with me. You made it bearable. How can I go on without you? We were supposed to be together for years. I was going to tease you about gray hairs and wrinkles. I wanted us to be together. I would have gladly bore your children if you wanted. And I know that you did…_

He pressed his lips to Ianto's one last time, grateful that they had kissed in the lift, as those lips he knew so well were all ready growing cold.

He felt his body sag and he lay himself down next to Ianto, pulling the still warm body towards him. It wasn't close enough.

"I love you," he whispered to the back of Ianto's head. Why hadn't he said it back? He stared at the dark hair, wishing in vain that when he awoke this would all have been a bad dream. He felt his own eyes close and knew that it was not.

When he awoke it was with the softest of sounds. He pulled Gwen close as he looked at Ianto, skin gray and eyes closed. Nothing else mattered anymore. He couldn't even think about Alice and Steven. So what if the 456 took the children? What did it matter? Ianto was _dead_. There was nothing else. _Nothing_.

His heart was broken. _He_ was broken.

Captain Jack Harkness had lost the only reason he had to stay sane.

But Ianto had children in his life. His niece and nephew. So he forced himself to tell Gwen to save them. He didn't care about anything else now. Just the two little kids who Ianto had protected by staying out of their lives.

He had been surprised at Alice's acceptance of him, of her confidence in him. That she had told Johnson that he could find a solution and save them all. She wasn't the reason that he had elected to help Johnson though. He had chosen to help because of Ianto's family. He had to protect them. He owed it to the man he'd been unable to save, the man he had let down, to try to save them.

Looking at Steven on the platform had been difficult. He had realized as he made the decision to sacrifice the boy that he was about to lose the very people that Ianto had wanted to meet. He loved Steven and Alice. He really did. Would Ianto have been able to stay with him knowing that Jack had made such a horrible decision? As he stood with his hand over the button he felt a presence behind him. He felt as if Ianto was right there, a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving him the strength he needed to do this. He pressed the button and stepped back, back into the invisible warmth of a recently dead lover. He watched as Steven died and tears ran down his face. Maybe he could at least save the rest of the children. Maybe then he would be able to forgive himself for loving someone too much to let them lead a normal life. Maybe he would be able to bring Ianto and Steven back one day.

The warmth of Ianto's presence pressed up against his back as the alien cries sounded throughout the room. Jack didn't even hear Alice's cries. He knew that any hope or absolution on her part was gone now. She would never be able to forgive him for killing -- no, murdering her son. The only reason he'd been able to do it was because of Ianto. Ianto kept him going even in death.

The warmth faded as Steven collapsed on the platform, dead.

The funerals were two days later.

Alice wouldn't allow him to come to Steven's funeral. Not that he would have anyway. It was at the same time as Ianto's. Steven had known that Jack loved him. Ianto… Jack wasn't so sure. He wasn't sure that Ianto knew how important he'd been to his Captain. So he had to go. He had to tell him he loved him. He had to say goodbye.

The burial was the hardest thing that Jack had ever had to endure. He had stood in the back and recalled every thing he could about Ianto. He had faced Ianto's family alone. He had remained quiet as Rhiannon had slapped him and said it was his fault.

She was right.

He ran away from Wales. There were too many memories of Ianto there. He ran all over the world but he couldn't stop the pain that engulfed him with each breath he took. He had only been able to sleep since his immortal life began with Ianto next to him. He killed himself many times just so he could not feel anything. He hoped desperately for even just a glimpse of Ianto in the darkness. There was none. And so he had to continue. He had to live his life. A life without Ianto. It had come far too soon.

He had gone to the gravesite before meeting Gwen. He had taken a small pendant with him. The pendant had belonged to his mother. He dug his hands into the cool dirt and placed the pendant there. That way a piece of him would always be with Ianto.

"I won't forget you. Not in a thousand years, not ever. How could I? I love you."

Ianto would have wanted him to stay, to help Gwen rebuild Torchwood but he couldn't. Not yet. He needed to have some time to himself. He had not properly grieved for anyone in his entire life. He needed to grieve for Ianto now. He would also grieve for Owen, Tosh, Gray, his father. Everyone he had ever cared about he would grieve for. Ianto would have been pleased to know that Jack was finally tearing down the wall he'd built around his sad memories.

"This world is too small, Ianto. Forgive me but I have to go away for a while." He touched his fingers to his lips and pressed them against the cold stone. "You'll be in my thoughts. Every day, no matter how bad it gets, I'll think of you. I'll remember how good you look in red. The taste of your mouth first thing in the morning. The way you'd roll your eyes when talking to the police over the phone. How OCD you were, especially when it came to organizing your book shelves. How hot you looked carrying a stun gun."

He smiled sadly as he looked at the engraving on the tombstone.

**Ianto Jones. Brother, Uncle, Friend and Lover. Remembered forever by the ones who loved him. He will never be forgotten. For all of time.**

"Maybe one day our paths will cross again. This universe is filled with so many possibilities, so who knows? I know that I'll keep hoping and praying. We only just found each other. I took you for granted; I forgot that our time was limited. If I can find you again, I promise that I'll make the most of it. I also promise that I won't forget how to love. Just give me a little time. You're a tough act to follow, Ianto Jones."

He had then gone to say goodbye to Gwen. His memories of Ianto Jones were the only thing that kept him going.

One day he would find his way back to Ianto. He would not be satisfied until he could hold Ianto in his arms once more. Be it in life or in death. Let the darkness take him.

One day they would be together again.

As the rain soaked through even his thick coat, Jack tightened his hold on the trembling figure that was pressed up against him.

That day had come. Ianto was alive. Somehow, some way Ianto had come back to him.

He pulled back enough to cradle Ianto's face in his hands and press his lips once more to the ones he had always thought of. Always came back for.

"I love you," he whispered as the kiss ended. He looked into the blue eyes that had always sparkled. "I love you."

Ianto smiled sadly up at him and caressed his cheek.

"I love you, as well, my Captain."

Jack pulled Ianto close once more. As he wound his arms around Ianto he became aware of the others who were watching the reunion.

Gwen was crying, her smile not quite hidden behind her hands. John Hart was standing with his mouth hanging open. A tall, handsome-beyond-words man stood with his hands clenched, lips pressed in a thin line and a single tear running down his chiseled face.

Jack took in the dark eyes that were filled with pain. He knew that look. He had seen it every single time he had looked into the mirror.

He tightened his grip on Ianto.

He wasn't going to let him go.

Not again.

Not without a fight.

Bring it on.

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED

~_~_~

Torchwood America Timeline:

Part 1 has no real time frame as it's an introduction. Part 2 is day **0**, as it is the day before Ianto arrives, and day **1**.

Part 3 and 4 are also day **1**. Part 5 and 6 are day **2**, leading into day **3**.

Part 7 thru 9 are day **10** (which means that those 3 parts move fast) and then lead into day **11** (the morning after).

Parts 10 and 11 start **eight** days later (which means that while Ianto is comparing Jack and Jason, Jason is reading the e-mail from Gwen). Day **18**.

Part 12 takes place **three** days after Jason gets Gwen's e-mail (day **21**).

Part 13 and 14 take place at approximately the same time (the evening of day **21** in WV, USA and the following morning in Cardiff… time zones confuse me so don't expect me to calculate time differences). It also carries on **two** days later (day **23**)

Part 15 and 16 take place on day **24**. Part 17 and 18 are day **25**. Part 18 also starts day **26**. Part 19 is day **27**. Part 20 takes place on day **29**.

Part 21 takes place on day **30**. (Jason and Ianto have been together for **20** days now. Wow. All ready meeting the family too!)

Part 22 takes place the morning after, day **31**. Part 23 takes place on day **31**, in the afternoon while Part 24 is in the evening (or morning, depending on the timezone).

Part 25 thru 27 are day **32**. Parts 28 thru 29 are day **33**.


	9. Part 30

OKAY! First off: This is the LAST update for TW America until AFTER the New Year and maybe a bit longer. I am going to focus on the rewrite and repost as soon as possible. Please be patient! I will post some one-shots to keep your sated but please check my profile page or my Love Journal (look for twiantojones) for TW America updates!

Part 30: Cascading Memories

A man with dark brown hair, straight nose, mesmerizing blue eyes and a long blue-gray coat walked towards them. The dark haired woman standing with her hands over her mouth didn't even register to any of them.

The man moved with swift, purposeful strides. Each step accompanied the feeling of having a new crack form in the wall that guarded Jason's emotions as he watched the man walk towards them.

He couldn't even move as Ianto brushed past him and ran to the other man.

The man gathered Ianto into his arms and held him close.

"Ianto…" he breathed as he cradled the trembling body to him.

"Jack… Jack…"

This was it. Jason's world was coming to an end. A single tear broke free. It slowly ran down his face as he felt his heart shatter.

Captain Jack Harkness kissed Ianto.

It began to rain.

And memories lost long ago rushed to the surface of Jason's mind.

~_~_~

_Jason scowled as someone collided with him and he felt scalding hot coffee slosh against his bare skin. Shit, it burned._

_"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and I…"_

_He took in the fair skin and the dark wavy hair. It was hard remembering to breathe. Sharp, bright eyes pierced right through him. The face was exquisite; he could stare at this fine-featured face forever. A high forehead, slight upturned nose and thin lips adorned the slightly rounded face. There were slight circles just beneath the dark blue eyes and the cheekbones were just high enough to make him wonder how old the young man was. He had to be at least twenty-one to work at Torchwood. Yvonne Hartman was firm about the requirements needed for hire._

_He tried not to laugh as he looked at the younger man. He could easily see how flustered the other man was and had to smile. It wasn't as if the boy had intentionally tried to run him over, after all._

_He stretched out his hand in greeting. The hand that met his was soft and warm. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly, confident in his ability to impress._

_"No problem. I'm Jason Monroe."_

_The young man's lips parted, letting out a voice that bore a soft lilting accent._

_"Jones. Ianto Jones."_

~_~_~

_A first kiss was something to be remembered. Ianto's lips were soft and hesitant as they kissed. It was obvious that he had never been with a man before. In fact he had told Jason how he'd never even been attracted to men before the day a couple weeks back when they had first met._

_That was what made this first kiss so magical. It was theirs' alone._

~_~_~

_"Does it bother you that I'm so much younger than you?" Ianto asked worriedly as they watched the news in his flat. "I mean, I'm only twenty-one. I'm barely old enough to work at Torchwood let alone--"_

_"You're smarter and more mature than most people twice your age. What about you? Are you okay with this? Your parents won't freak out at you being involved with a man, especially one as old as me?"_

_"You're only thirty-six," Ianto protested. "That's not so old!" He blushed. "But don't expect to meet my family anytime soon. My mom died when I was little and my dad just a few years ago."_

_"No siblings?"_

_"Just my older sister. But I haven't seen her much since my dad."_

_"Why not?"_

_"She likes to run my life. She had to be a mother to me when we were younger and although I'm an adult she acts as if I'm incapable of doing anything without her guidance. Even breathing. We get along better with some distance between us." Ianto stretched his arms and snuggled closer to him. "There's also Torchwood now."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well, I work for what is probably the most dangerous employer ever. I'm just a researcher but think about the things that we see. I can't talk about work to my sister; she thinks I'm a civil servant. She knows what my job position is but not the details. It's easier to keep a secret if I minimize contact with her."_

_"Still, she's family. You should see her more often. One day she might not be around."_

_Ianto sighed and laid his head on Jason's shoulder._

_"I know. But Torchwood is too dangerous. By staying away I'm also protecting them."_

~_~_~

_They made love for the first time in Jason's small flat on the floor next to the couch. They had aimed for the bed but hadn't been about to make it that far. Their desire and lust had overridden every bit of common sense they both had._

_It was as clumsy and awkward as their first kiss. It was also just as magical. They had explored each other's bodies. First they had used their eyes, then their hands and mouths. After a bit they couldn't take the torture anymore and Jason had rolled Ianto onto his back. He had taken him as gently as possible and it was fantastic._

_Jason last partner had been Kate. He was so used to her body with all its curves and her soft, yet firm breasts. Ianto's body was all sharp planes and angles and the kind of ass that simply begged for Jason's hands to grab hold and squeeze. And squeeze he had if the handprint on the left buttock was any indication. Kate had been quiet and restrained when they were together. Ianto had been very vocal and had kept his hands moving in a desperate dance for more, more, MORE._

_It had been the perfect first time with the perfect partner._

_Jason had slept with people before he met Kate but he didn't feel that his adolescent dalliances counted as good basis's for comparison. Ianto had been a virgin when he walked in the door tonight. The thing that made it so perfect was that he had an abundance of enthusiasm. It more than made up for the lack of experience._

_They had been together for just over a month now. They were slowly finding their footing in their growing relationship. Jason was seriously considering requesting a transfer for either Ianto or himself, as he didn't want this to end._

_He was in heaven._

~_~_~

_Their first big argument was over what to watch on the telly. It was so stupid and childish. It got so bad that Jason walked out of Ianto's flat and Ianto slammed the door after him._

_Two hours later Jason stood outside the door with a box of fresh doughnuts and Ianto let him back in. Two hours later they were still making up._

_After all, it was really stupid to fight over what television program to watch._

_So stupid._

~_~_~

_They went camping for their six-month anniversary. Ianto wasn't a fan of the outdoors but agreed to give it a go so long as Jason would take him to see "Cats" next month. They toasted marshmallows over the fire, swam in the lake and made love in the tent. It was dirty and there were so many bugs but by the end of the weekend Ianto agreed to do it again sometime._

_The following week, on Thursday, Jason made a homemade cake and frosting. The words 'Happy Birthday' were written in purple frosting and they fed each other bites as they lay in Ianto's bed. _

_"So how does it feel to be so old?" Jason teased as Ianto nibbled a bite of cake._

_"Git!" Ianto swatted at him and rolled into a sitting position._

_"Just think, yesterday I was cradle robbing but now!"_

_"Oy! Behave or else!"_

_"Or else what?"_

_Ianto waggled his eyebrows at him._

_"Or else I'll get the leftover frosting and have you for dessert."_

_"Promises, promises."_

~_~_~

_Ianto wanted to help but was useless in the kitchen. Jason had him stay busy by organizing the pantry._

_It was Thanksgiving time in the States so Jason and Ianto were celebrating it as a couple. Holiday music drifted from the telly while the turkey was cooking and the scent of fresh baked pumpkin pies filled the air._

_"You do this every year?" Ianto asked as he came into the kitchen and watched Jason baste the bird._

_"Until I got divorced I made the holiday dinner for my wife and kids. The last two years they went to visit Kate's parents before getting dropped off at my parents' house for their second dinner. This is the first Thanksgiving since I met Kate that I haven't spent with my family at all."_

_"So you got lonesome, huh?"_

_"Well, actually, I wanted to share a piece of my life with you." Jason smiled and pulled Ianto in for a kiss. _

_"How much longer 'til that turkey's done?" Ianto asked shyly as he plucked at Jason's buttons._

~_~_~

_Christmastime. The tree should have been up. Snow covered the ground and snowmen were popping up all over. Gifts were purchased and parties were thrown. The air was alive with the sounds of merry people and carols._

_At least for some people. But not for Jason or Ianto._

_Like a piece of mistletoe, Jason was hung from a ceiling. He wasn't there for decoration but he was rather festive looking, what with the bright red blood that ran down his back and chest from open wounds. His green shirt had been ripped to shreds by the spiked whip. Ianto was cuffed to a chair and was crying._

_"Please…. Please stop. Please…"_

_Jason could handle the pain. He could handle the humiliation at being caught so easily. He could handle the fact that he was probably going to die soon._

_He couldn't handle Ianto's tears._

_"Please, let him go!"_

_"Why should I?" Cruel hands caressed Ianto's tear-streaked face._

_"I love him…" Ianto's voice trembled as he stared at his lover's battered body._

_"All the more reason to make him suffer. You have no need of him."_

_"Please… anything, I'll do anything!"_

_"No, Ianto…"_

_There was no telling what this monster would do to Ianto if he accepted that offer._

_"There is nothing to do," the man said calmly. "In time you will forget about him. He will become just a blip in time for you."_

_"He'll never be a blip in time. Not for me!" Ianto sobbed._

_"Oh, Ianto, Ianto!" The man knelt before him. He took a firm hold of his jaw. There was a dark purple bruise from where Ianto had tried to get free before. "There is someone so much better for you."_

_"I want Jason."_

_"So stubborn! Perhaps that's what he loves about you. I forgive you for causing him pain."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"My son, my eternal treasure. He loves you. You will learn to love him. You MUST love him. He suffers because of you."_

_"Do you think I could love someone else? When you torture my lover?"_

_"Ah! I'd almost forgotten the bastard that defiled your body. Don't worry, I will kill him soon enough."_

_  
"NO!"_

_"I can't have you making my son unhappy again."_

_"Make us forget!" Ianto said quickly, as if he had just thought of it. "It's the only way! You can make us forget each other and then let Jason go!"_

_"No!" Jason cried in shock._

_"You would do that? You would willingly forget this barbarina?"_

_"Yes. I would. Please," Ianto said. "I beg you. Erase us from each other's minds and let us go. Jason's supposed to go back to the U.S soon so we won't even see each other. And you can lead me to your son. But I couldn't possibly love your son if I know that you've killed Jason."_

_"Ianto..." This was worse than the tears. Oh gods, but this was breaking Jason's heart. He would always know, even oif he couldn't remember, that he was missing something, someone important. He would always be incomplete._

_"Jason, it's the only way to save you. I can't bear to see you hurt. Not because of me." Ianto looked up at him, fresh tears pouring down his reddened cheeks like rain._

_Their captor nodded his head. "Very Well." He raised his hand at his subordinates._

_Jason was lowered to teh ground and cut free. He sagged forward, too many kinds of pain immobilizing him._

_"Let me say goodbye." Ianto's voice, his beautiful lilting voice, was soft and filled with sorrow._

_"What does it matter? You won't remember it?"_

We will_, Jason thought. _ We always will. Erasing our memories is like earsing a computer's memory. It's still there, it's just difficult to find._ He looked up at his lover. So little time. They'd had so little time. They had just gotten to know each other._

_"Then say your goodbyes, if you must. By this time tomorrow you will never have met Jason Monroe."_

~_~_~

"I love you," Jack whispered as the kiss ended. He looked into Ianto's blue eyes. "I love you."

Ianto smiled sadly up at him and caressed his cheek.

"I love you as well, my Captain."

Jack pulled Ianto close once more. As he wound his arms around Ianto he became aware of the others who were watching the reunion.

Gwen was crying, her smile not quite hidden behind her hands. John Hart was standing with his mouth hanging open. And the other man... Monroe. Jason Monroe.

Jack and Jason's eyes locked. Their eyes, blue and brown, held the same pain of loss and the fear of losing what they had found. Both of them loved Ianto too much to risk losing him.

Jack tightened his grip on Ianto.

Jason's fists clenched even tighter.

Neither was going to let him go.

Not again.

Not ever again.

Not without a fight.

Bring it on.

~_~_~

TO BE CONTINUED AFTER NEW YEAR'S...

~_~_~

No time line today! I'll work on it, as the story may span a greater amount of time. Email me with any critiques! All opinions MATTER!!


	10. announement

ANOUNCEMENT!!!!

Okay everyone! My beta is very busy (with life and beta-reading) but I couldn't wait to post (I'm impatient.... just kidding!). This version of "Torchwood America" will NOT be updated. I am leaving it up purely for comparisons to the new version as well as to inform you all of the new version.

For those who do not recieve author/new story updates: The new version is called "Torchwood America Version 2".

There are author's notes at the END of the introduction/Chapter 0. Feel free to read or skip them.

Thanks!!!!!


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